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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24427552">Cedric Diggory and the Orders of the Half-Blood Prince</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/appalyneinstitute1/pseuds/appalyneinstitute1'>appalyneinstitute1</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Boys Who L’ved Universe [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Afterlife, Angst, Cedric Diggory Lives, Draco Malfoy Has a Sibling, Half Blood Prince AU, I have other ships planned besides the one mentioned but I’m not sure, Im not sure what the relationship tags and categories should be, I’m not particularly good at writing that so here goes nothing, I’m not sure what to add for tags yet but keep your eyes peeled, Ministry of Magic (Harry Potter), Order of the Phoenix AU, Original Character(s), Patronus Charm (Harry Potter), Pensieves, Sequel, Squibs, Thestrals, i guess, kind of, theyre not really close tho</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 07:34:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>26,669</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24427552</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/appalyneinstitute1/pseuds/appalyneinstitute1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After the events of the third task Cedric is left with a new scar and dead boyfriend. He has his NEWTS to deal with this year and the new threat of Voldemort on the horizon.</p><p>Harry is finally reunited with his family after 13 years. Now he has to explore his new world and figure out what Cedric having nearly half his soul has to do with anything.</p><p>If you have not read the previous parts I highly recommend you do so otherwise you will be hopelessly lost!!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cedric Diggory/Harry Potter, Cedric Diggory/Harry Potter - Past</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Boys Who L’ved Universe [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1756294</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>50</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Life in Muggle London</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi all!<br/>I’m back and probably have poorer planning than with Goblet because I’m trying to fit two books into one year!<br/>DISCLAIMER: If you recognize something it is not mine and I don’t make money off of it. </p><p>Remember to leave comments I wanna hear what you think!</p><p>EDIT: I was a lazy butt and didn’t want to add anything new so I went and edited all of Ced and The GoF and Beyond</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been two weeks since Cedric had moved in with Lars. The two lived in an artsy two bedroom apartment in London, only a few streets over from the Leaky Cauldron, which was good for when Cedric went shopping or needed a place to do his homework. The only downside was the looks he got, they could be anywhere from sad and pitying to boiling rage. </p><p>It was a hot summer afternoon, so Cedric had decided to take a nap on the couch. He hadn’t had much sleep for weeks. Part of that was due to getting up early to get his copy of the Daily Prophet before Lars woke up, and the Other fact was that he had been having strange dreams ever since the funeral. He couldn’t remember many of them, but sometimes he woke up with an ache in his shoulder, right on the spot where the killing curse got him. </p><p>Lars was off on the fire escape making sketches of the neighborhood when he heard Cedric cry out. Lars had known Cedric wasn’t sleeping well. He figured that they did not know each other well enough for him to ask him about it. But Lars had never heard him sleep talk before. He climbed off the fire escape and went back into the apartment. Cedric’s sleep talk was now coherent. </p><p>“No, n-n-no, Harry! Come back! Harry!” Cedric woke with a start. </p><p>Lars sat down on the coffee table “Who’s Harry?” He asked hesitantly.</p><p>”He was my boyfriend.”</p><p>”Was?”</p><p>Cedric nodded and rubbed his shoulder, which was sore again. “You know how I had lost someone right before we met? Well, he was the one that died.”</p><p>”Oh, I’m so sorry.” Lars looked at Cedric for a moment then rushed to his room. </p><p>When Lars came back in he had two newspapers in hand, one older and more battered, one newer. He set the older one on the coffee table in front of Cedric. “You’re that Cedric Diggory aren’t you?”</p><p>Cedric looked down at the paper, it was a copy of the Daily Prophet from back in the fall announcing the tournament. How had Lars, a muggle gotten his hands on it? </p><p>Cedric deliberated for a moment, then answered “Yes.”</p><p>”Then I think I need to reintroduce myself  Lawrence Malfoy, squib son of Lucius.”</p><p>”Come again now? Lucius Malfoy only has one kid. I know because the brat made badges that promoted me while putting down Harry, granted they had a rivalry to end all rivalries, but still.”</p><p>”No, he had two. He had an ongoing dalliance with my mother, an American half-blood, but his parents did not approve. I don’t think he fought them that hard anyway. I was born a few months after he married Narcissa. He paid my Mom to keep me a secret, I went to a muggle private school with that money. She wanted me to go to one because she did, like her muggleborn father. Lucius said that he would let the world see me as his son when I got to Hogwarts, that’s why I got his last name. The letter never came and I never showed signs of magic anyway. My mother was furious when he decided not to come clean. He paid her more money for my high school and once I became an adult I was able to get more money from him for art school.”</p><p>Cedric didn’t know what to say. </p><p>“Anyway I’m sorry about Harry. I honestly don’t have anything to say about him since I’m now 100% sure the Prophet got him wrong. I don’t think you’d ever date someone as arrogant as he was made out to be.”</p><p>”No, and they got what happened that night wrong. I didn’t cause his death or find him mauled by a giant beast. We ended up in a graveyard. He jumped in front of a killing curse for me. One of You-know-who’s goons killed him. Despite what the prophet says You-know-who is back. Actually I’m pretty sure your father showed up that night, maybe, it was all a blur.”</p><p>”Of course he did. I remember one time when he visited Mom and I, I must have been like four, and he was going on and on about someone he called ‘lord.’ It was probably You-know-who.”</p><p>“My mother went into rants praising him when I was very little.”</p><p>”Sounds like we both have asshole pure blood parents. Now away from the depressing topics, tell me about Hogwarts, my inner child needs to know!”</p><p>Cedric smiled for what felt like the first time in a long time and started talking about his school.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Side note that really isn’t important but is worth knowing is that Ced’s mom (Celeana Diggory) is Lucius’s cousin.<br/>Yes you will meet her<br/>Eventually </p><p>Leave comments to sustain my soul!<br/>XOXO<br/>—Appie</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Correspondence</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Just a reminder if you did not notice: Parts 1&amp;2 are now edited. Nothing major but if you are bored you can check it out.<br/>Also I’m using a new type of word processor and software for this part so bear with me as I get used to it.<br/>Thanks for leaving comments!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Cedric awoke from a nightmare for the third time that week, it was Thursday. This was a different dream than usual, instead of the graveyard it had been of a long, never ending hallway. He got up showered and got dressed. He didn’t have much to do that day, but what else was new. Lars had spread out a bunch of sketches all over the table and was considering them. </p><p>“Which one should I use for my senior citizen painting class tomorrow?”</p><p>Ced looked at the paintings and picked one Lars had done of a post owl earlier that week. “That one. Speaking of owls,”</p><p>Four owls had just landed outside on the fire escape. Cedric went to the window to let them in. He paid the owl with the copy of the Daily Prophet and it flew off. There were still three remaining, one an elegant Eagle owl he knew to be Fleur’s from the great hall last year, one a barn owl that looked like it was a school owl, and a screech owl. He took the notes from the owls and the screech and barn owls flew off. Fleur’s owl stayed. He knew that it was waiting for a reply to take with it. </p><p>“Who’s it from?” Lars asked.</p><p>”Fleur Delacour. One of the champions, she wanted to keep in touch. That one looks like it’s from Hogwarts, but it’s too early for supply lists. And this one has a ministry seal.”</p><p>Cedric opened the letter from Fluer and started to read.</p><p>
  <em>Dear Cedric,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I’m glad to hear you’ve settled into a new apartment. What’s muggle London like? How are you holding up? I know it must be hard right now. This is my owl Chevalier, he is quite friendly especially if you give him a treat. I always instruct him to stay until he gets a reply, so write back soon! I miss him! </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I have been doing quite well myself. As you know I returned to Beauxbatons for graduation this past June, but I got a job at the London branch of Gringotts to improve my English. I’ve actually made friends with Bill Weasley, I saw you and Harry spending time with him before the last task. I was wondering if you could see if he likes me. I have an apartment in Diagon Alley if you would like to meet up sometime. Maybe you could convince me that quidditch is worth my time. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Hope you are well!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>XOXO</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Fleur</em>
</p><p>Cedric smiled and wrote a reply, stating that if he ever did get a chance to speak with Bill he’d mention her, but that they really weren’t close so as not to get her hopes too high. Then again he thought that any guy, or girl for that matter, interested in girls would totally be into her anyways. He decided he might as well take her up on meeting up to talk quidditch. After he sent that letter he noticed Lars had moved on to prepping the sketch for the class he was teaching the next day. </p><p>He then opened the Ministry letter.</p><p>
  <em>Dear Mr. Cedric Diggory,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Due to your recent involvement in the death of Harry Potter, The Boy-Who-Lived, you are wanted for an interview on August twelfth and 10:00 AM in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. If this date and/or time does not fit your schedule please inform the Ministry of Magic as soon as possible. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sincerely,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Imelda Anchor </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Department of Magical Law Enforcement </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Secretary to the Head of the Department</em>
</p><p>“Oh great. Now they want to interrogate me!” Cedric huffed.</p><p>He opened the final letter.</p><p>
  <em>Dear Mr. Diggory,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I hope you are having a good summer, and I am glad you have found a place in London. In two days time I would like your help  retrieving a memory from an old colleague, there is another place I would like to take you but it is too secure to mention in a letter. I have also heard about your upcoming interview at the Ministry. My advice to you is to hold your head high and stick with your convictions. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>See you soon</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Professor Dumbledore </em>
</p><p>Cedric thought it was odd that the professor wanted his help with something, but maybe the colleague was one of Cedric’s family or something. Not that Ced was all that close with his family presently. Lars then came in to grab a snack. </p><p>“You alright?” </p><p>“The Ministry is gonna interrogate me about Harry’s death.” </p><p>“Okay, you are coming and participating in my painting class tomorrow. You need to get your mind off of things and art is a good way to express your feelings in a productive way. You have not been good about talking to someone, anyone, about your feelings and it is just not healthy to bottle them up! No ifs, ands, or buts! This is a beginner’s painting class so no need to worry and you can borrow some of my cheaper supplies. Was there anything else in those letters that you want to tell me.” </p><p>“No, not really. Dumbledore plans on commandeering me in a few days to help him get something from a colleague. But other than that just the Ministry thing.” </p><p>“Good. Now go for a walk or something, explore the neighborhood. Find a takeout place you want to try tonight. Order us each something and don’t come home until dinner. You have only left this apartment to do homework it seems.” </p><p>“Yes Mum.” Cedric decided that if Fleur wasn’t working he would explore muggle London with her that day and find a place for takeout. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Painting class</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next day started bright and early for Cedric and Lars. They went out to the local park and set up a row of chairs and easels. Lars had Cedric place all of the canvases down for the class attendees. Lars placed the painting tools on small tables set next to each canvas. He then got set up in the front with his model painting of Cedric’s saw-whet owl Chatter and one of the barn owls from the Daily Prophet. He had given them a plain navy and teal background so as not to complicate it too much for the class attendees.</p><p>Soon enough the senior citizens started arriving. One in particular came over and started talking to Lars for longer than the others. Lars waved Cedric over. The lady was short and had white hair. She also had the same sky blue stare as Lars.</p><p>“Cedric, I’d like you to meet Nan, my grandmother. Nan, this is Cedric, my roommate.” </p><p>“Oh how nice. Are you an artist too?” She asked, she had an American accent.</p><p>“No, I’m not sure what I’m going to do with my life yet.” That wasn’t true but he wasn’t about to tell someone he just met that he was aspiring to do some sort of spell work, charms or transfiguration, for the ministry and one day hoped to be a teacher. </p><p>“Cedric is actually my second cousin on my father’s side.” Lars continued “We figured it out about a week ago.”</p><p>Ced looked puzzled for a second adding up the family math in his head. He had forgotten that his mother was Lucius’s cousin. The woman just nodded. </p><p>“Looks like everyone is here.” Ced said. </p><p>“You two go take your seats.” Lars said and went up to the front where he would be guiding the class. </p><p>Cedric and Nan took seats on the end of the row. Cedric found himself actually liking the painting process. He was able to get through painting the background and painting chatter with only a bit of difficulty. The painting was nowhere near as good as the model, but he had fun with it anyways. He strayed from the path when they started painting the barn owl. Instead of more browns Cedric found himself using grays. Soon he realized that he was painting a green-eyed snowy owl. </p><p>It was in that moment that Nan looked over at Cedric’s painting. “Oh my. I like the white one, reminds me of the one May had when she was your age.” </p><p>“My boyfriend had an owl just like it. Before he- before he died this past spring.”</p><p>“You poor dear. No one should have that kind of loss so young. My husband died nearly five years ago now and I still think it was too soon. I can’t imagine how that boy’s. Family must feel.” </p><p>“Aside from grief I don’t know I haven’t heard from any of them since the funeral.” </p><p>“That sounds like you need a listening ear. Once we pack up you and I are going for a walk and you are telling me everything, even the magic stuff,  I might not have gone to Hogwarts but I still come from magical blood. I have found the more you can talk to someone the better.” Cedric had forgotten that Lars’s grandparents were magical and had been hesitant to say anything.</p><p>The class wrapped up soon after that and he and Nan, Cedric had tried to ask for her real name to call her but she insisted he call her Nan, left Lars to clean up. Lars smiled his plan to get Cedric talking seemed to have worked.</p><p>When he returned home later that evening something had settled inside him. While he was still sad about Harry he felt like the burden was now liveable. He hung his painting in his room and for the first night in a long time he slept soundly.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Hades</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here’s some Harry for you! Sorry if it seems too info-dumpy I wanted to get all of the world building for the afterlife out of the way here. Please let me know if you don’t understand something or if a sentence is very far off of being grammatically incorrect. Please leave comments. I’m gonna try to respond to all of them on this fic.</p><p>XOXO<br/>—Appie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Harry was adjusting to the ‘life’ in the afterlife quite well. He had been there about three months “dead time” as many of the souls here called it. They used soul instead of using the term people, since they had no bodies everyone was a soul even though each had a physical form. Harry had learned that time in the afterlife went three times as fast for whatever reason so even though it was only late July when he checked down on his friends, (his parents had taught him how to use a mirror to do that), it was mid September here. Harry had asked his parents why they didn’t look like they were twenty one. </p><p>“Well you see Har, we did right up until you showed up. Since we had to step into a role as your parents we aged ourselves up. You will stop aging when you reach maturity unless you don’t want to. You’ll age in dead time though, so next year on your death date In the living world you’ll be almost seventeen here.” His Dad had told him. </p><p>Harry had just nodded unsure of what to do with this information. </p><p>When September rolled around he started classes at Hades. Apparently the ancient Greeks had started the school for the dead. Both magical and muggle souls of all ages attended here. Since souls could literally do as they pleased, within reason of course, Muggle souls got to learn magic if they wanted to. Magical souls could take Muggle classes. Harry had signed up for his same Hogwarts classes for now, they were divided into levels, he took level G5 classes which stood for generic course level 5. There were four course types, primary, mostly for little kids, generic, adults and teens just starting out, not different from OWL level, advanced, much like NEWT, and Specialized, much like what a university course would be. Harry had also taken G2 science and A1 Defense against the Dark arts. </p><p>Harry had also discovered that his Mum was taking many advanced Muggle classes at Hades. Harry had quickly made friends with a Muggle boy named Oliver that had died six years ago dead time along with his entire family in a car crash. He had a blue band across his forehead to indicate death on impact.</p><p>Each soul had some sort of marker to indicate how they died. Harry and his parents had pale lightning patterns to indicate the killing curse where they were struck. </p><p>Harry had also met a young witch named Bex who had died of dragon pox when she was very young, three pink dots on her neck indicated the death by magical disease. Both Oliver and Bex took many of his magical classes, but Bex also took Muggle literature and Oliver took quite a few Muggle courses.</p><p> </p><p>Harry hadn’t put much thought into Cedric having his part of his soul despite his skin’s constant translucent reminder. Though one time during his weekly rest (souls only needed to sleep twelve hours a week), he could have sworn he was standing in Cedric’s shoes painting in a park somewhere. Unlike mirror viewing which was in third person, he literally was Ced in the dream. </p><p>As he finally settled down into his classes and got into a routine he had more time to think about it. He visited Inquiry at one point to ask why one would split their soul like Voldemort had. Inquiry explained about horcruxes. They mentioned that Voldemort had had a theory when he was younger that splitting his soul into seven would render him immortal, apparently Tom was correct in this theory.</p><p>Right now he had one dead horcrux and seven living. His soul was split into eight so he had ruined his immortality. The only reason he hadn’t died in 1981 was that his soul had split into seven that night. </p><p>By the time Harry had left Inquiry he had figured out that Cedric needed to die in order for Voldemort to. Harry was determined to not let that happen. He started researching ways Cedric could survive and ways to reach the piece of his soul still within Cedric. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. An Outing With Professor Dumbledore</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi all! <br/>Sorry I didn’t update yesterday, I needed to do something that required more memory and less coming up with ideas on the spot, so I updated another work. Speaking of which, if you are bored go read Legacies of Hogwarts! I am open to constructive (not mean) criticism on that work. </p><p>Now for news on this work, as I am planning the end of Orders of the Half-Blood Prince I have come to a conundrum that I have decided to let YOU my loyal readers help me solve. On my Tumblr ( @appalyneinstitute1 ) I am posting a poll of sorts. I am giving no info as to what decision will be made from it (because I’m cruel), just reblog or comment with your choice and your results will determine a bit of the path of the story. </p><p>The poll will be open until June 19, 2020 so get your votes in!</p><p>XOXO<br/>—Appie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was early the next morning when Professor Dumbledore showed up in front of Cedric’s apartment building, early meaning still dark out. “Good morning Cedric, how are you doing?” Asked the Professor when Cedric arrived downstairs. </p><p>Cedric sighed and said “Okay, I haven’t been sleeping well.” </p><p>“Shall we?”</p><p>Cedric nodded and let Dumbledore apparate them away. </p><p>“Who are we meeting?” Asked Cedric as they walked through a small muggle town. </p><p>“A retired Professor, he taught potions before Professor Snape. His name is Professor Horace Slughorn. I am trying to get a memory from him, but I have not had any luck. I hope that having you present will aid my efforts.”</p><p>Cedric nodded as they came up to a small unsuspecting cottage. Cedric was pretty sure there were notice-me-not charms on it, or something of the like, because he could have sworn it wasn’t there before. Dumbledore headed up the path and knocked on the door. </p><p>No one answered. Dumbledore knocked once more and then. Let himself in. “Step where I step.” Dumbledore said.</p><p>Cedric followed his Professor’s footsteps to the kitchen of the cottage. Standing at attention ready to flee was a short round man with his wand drawn frozen in terror. </p><p>“Relax Horace, it is only me. And Mr. Diggory of course.” </p><p>“Ahh, Cedric Diggory, winner of the Triwizard tournament. Boyfriend of Harry Potter, may he Rest In Peace.” </p><p>“Hello.” Cedric said. </p><p>“Now Albus if you are here for the Tom Riddle memory I’m afraid you are wasting your time. I refuse to share anything that could come back to get me.” </p><p>“Tom Riddle?” Cedric asked “That was you-know-who’s real name right?” </p><p>“Yes, it seems Harry has told you quite a bit.” Dumbledore said, “Now that Lord Voldemort is back it is of utmost importance for us to see the memory as it will help us see some of his larger plan.” </p><p>“So the rumors are true and the newspapers are wrong, he really is back.” Professor Sulghorn went pale as milk. </p><p>Cedric understood what he was supposed to do now, he tugged at the collar of his shirt, seemingly out of habit, in order to expose his scar a bit more. </p><p>“I was there the night he came back. His servant, Wormtail I think, took my blood to bring back you- - Voldemort.” Cedric paused, that was the first time he had ever said the name in his life. “Harry took the killing curse to save me. The last thing I saw in his eyes wasn’t fear, but love. If I wasn’t there Harry would still be alive and Y-Voldemort might not even be back.”</p><p>Cedric paused to let it sink in. “We need that memory not only to defeat a madman, but to avenge Harry’s death.” </p><p>“Please, for the son of one of your students, Horace, let us have the memory.” Dumbledore pleaded. </p><p>“Okay, but only because he asked so nicely.” He pulled out a vial and let his wand pull a silvery strand from his temple. “Now off you go. If you-know-who is really back I must go into hiding. Mind the traps on your way out.”</p><p>Cedric once again followed Dumbledore’s footsteps as they exited the cottage. They headed out to where they would apparate back to London. </p><p>“You did well Cedric.” </p><p>“Thank you Professor.” </p><p>“I would like to have private lessons with you this year. I fear that Lord Voldemort will make you one of his targets, and I wish to prepare you.” </p><p>“Why would I be a target?” </p><p>“Lord Voldemort values his own life over anything else and will go to any length to ensure he can live forever. You said you haven’t been sleeping well correct? Have you been having odd dreams?”</p><p>Cedric nodded. </p><p>“Well, I think that when you survived the killing curse a sort of connection was formed between you and Lord Voldemort, one that could be used to jeopardize his life. I want you to be prepared if and when he goes after you. Before I return you home there is one other place we must stop.”</p><p>They apparated away. As Cedric once again pushed himself out of the crushing darkness he realized he was back in London. Dumbledore took out what looked like a muggle lighter and clicked it. One by one the lights on the empty street went out. The sun was on the rise so it was just light enough out to see.</p><p>Dumbledore leaned in and whispered ever so softly into Cedric’s ear, “The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix is at number 12 Grimmuald Place.”</p><p>Cedric stared in awe as a door appeared between numbers 11 and 13. Dumbledore and Cedric headed towards the door as the streetlights went back on, and then turned out on their own as the sun rose. </p><p>Cedric opened the door. Just as soon as he and Dumbledore were inside and the door shut loudly a shrill voice started screaming “MUDBLOODS AND BLOOD TRAITORS! IN THE ANCESTRAL HOUSE! A DISGRACE TO THE ANCIENT AND NOBLE HOUSE OF BLACK!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Don’t forget to leave comments, kudos, and participate in the Tumblr poll!!!!</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Order</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Okay so, not much traffic on the Tumblr Poll. If you do not have Tumblr or just don’t want to go out to another site you can leave the poll options in the comments ON THIS CHAPTER ONLY! I am also extending the deadline to June 30th since the decision is farther off.<br/>The poll is simply this:<br/>Sirius or Tonks<br/>I am not telling you what it is for because I’m an evil person, (by this point you should know that otherwise I wouldn’t have killed Harry the way I did).</p><p>Anyways I can’t remember if I have mentioned this, but I am going to do my best to reply to every comment I get on this work and future works so leave your thoughts!</p><p>XOXO<br/>— Appie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“MUDBLOODS AND BLOOD TRAITORS! IN THE ANCESTRAL HOUSE! A DISGRACE TO THE ANCIENT AND NOBLE HOUSE OF BLACK!” </p><p>Cedric jumped. It seemed that one of the portraits at the end of the entry hall was screaming. </p><p>“Oh shut up you old hag!” Someone came and yanked a curtain in front of the portrait. When the figure turned around Cedric realized that it was Sirius Black. </p><p>“Good morning Sirius.” Dumbledore said. </p><p>“Dumbledore, I didn’t realize you were coming by so early. Nice to see you Cedric how’re you holding up?” </p><p>“Better I guess.” Cedric said. </p><p>“I’ll gather everyone in the kitchen, Sirius why don’t you show Cedric upstairs. I’m sure his friends would be glad to see him.” Dumbledore exited down the hallway of the old townhouse. </p><p>“Right this way.” Sirius showed Cedric to the stairs. “How’s your summer been?” He asked awkwardly. </p><p>“Okay, I’ve got an apartment in the city with a friend. He’s also apparently a squib cousin.” </p><p>“Living on your own already?” </p><p>“Got kicked out. My parents, my mum, sent a howler the day that article about Harry and I came out.” </p><p>“I got kicked out of this very house when I was your age. Picked the wrong side of the war. Of course my parents glorified my brother who joined the Death Eaters. I ended up staying with James and his family that summer. I’m sure that if Harry hadn’t lived with those awful relatives he would have let you stay with him.” </p><p>“I wouldn’t have said yes. My first thought was to get out on my own.” Of course now he would have given anything to have had the summer with Harry. </p><p>“Here we are,” Sirius stopped by the door, “the listening in on meetings you aren’t supposed to room.” </p><p>Sirius turned and left as Cedric pushed open the door. Inside the room were his friends, Mark and Cho were sprawled on a couch in the corner. Hermione sat on the floor with a book in her lap, Ron lounged in a chair and both Fred and George were looking at a piece of parchment on the table.</p><p>Cho jumped up when she saw Cedric, “Ced!” She came over and gave him a bone crushing hug. </p><p>“Hey everyone glad I could join the party. Where’s Eve?” He asked. </p><p>Everyone’s faces darkened. “She no longer believes you.” Mark said. “Her parents, you know how they are, they like to see proof. They’ve got her convinced that you did him in for attention or anger for not being the only Hogwarts champion.” </p><p>“Oh. How long have you all been here?” </p><p>“All summer.” Said Ron. </p><p>“A week for the rest of us.” Hermione said looking up from her book. </p><p>“Okay,” Cedric plopped down next to George, “Can anyone tell me what this place is and why are we here? I’ve figured out that this is the ancestral home of the Black family, but other than that I’m in the dark.” </p><p>“This is the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. The Order was Dumbledore’s resistance group against Voldemort until ‘81. Now that he’s back Dumbledore reinstated the order. We sit in here to listen in on the meetings because they don’t tell us anything.” </p><p>“Even Mum doesn’t think we’re old enough and we’re of age.” Fred said. </p><p>“Well they are having a meeting now, Dumbledore just went to round people up.”</p><p>Everyone went and listened in on the meeting. Afterwords he was told he could stay in the townhouse for the summer. Cedric firmly said no. He understood the danger, but he needed his own space away from everything. He did however stop by for a few hours everyday and worked on cleaning the place with everyone. It really was just something to do. He brought Lars once and all of his friends had come over to his and Lars’s place that night for a while.</p><p>Soon enough the days had dwindled down to that dreaded date of his ‘interview’ at the ministry. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Leave comments and respond to the poll!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. “Investigative Interview”</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey!!<br/>I’m back with a new chapter and I officially am having Tay_Quin be my beta!<br/>Side note: We have started working on a Drarry fic together (go read it!) called “A Starry Eighth Year.”<br/>Don’t forget the poll open until June 30 2020! (Please only respond on CHAPTER 6 or my Tumblr)<br/>That’s all for now,<br/>XOXO<br/>—Appie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Cedric woke up groggy on the morning of the interview, he hadn’t slept much, not that that was different from normal. His dreams had gotten stranger, his mind moving away from the graveyard and to a long corridor with a locked door at the end. </p>
<p>He showered and put on his best outfit, dark pants and robes (to show he was in mourning), a white shirt, (to show his innocence), and a tie that Harry had gotten him some time in May. The tie was mainly yellow with some red swirls at the bottom.</p>
<p>Lars was still asleep, so Cedric grabbed his wand and apparated to the ministry from the fire escape. </p>
<p>He landed in the atrium and went to get a visitor’s badge. After, he had a badge that read his name and the words ‘Investigative Interview.’  More like unnecessary interrogation, he thought. </p>
<p>He headed down to the level that contained the Department of Magical Law Enforcement (DMLE). He entered the lift with a myriad of other people and a few memos. </p>
<p>He went to press the button at the same time as someone else. He looked over and there was his father. “Ced? What are you doing here?”</p>
<p>Cedric pointed to his badge, “They’re gonna ask me some questions.”</p>
<p>“I heard they were bringing in a suspect. They asked me to be a part of the hearing, but you? Also that’s the wrong floor, they want you in the courtrooms.”</p>
<p>Hearing? This was supposed to be some sort of trial? His father was going to be there? Shit. That probably meant the whole Wizengamot was going to be there. Shit. The ministry was a giant load of shit. </p>
<p>He followed his father out of the lift when it reached the lowest level, where the courtrooms were. Amos left through the door to where the Wizengamot officials were able to sit. </p>
<p>Soon enough a stern looking Auror manhandled him as he was led into the courtroom.</p>
<p>He surveyed the people as he entered. He had been right, the entire Wizengamot had shown up. The heads of all the ancient pureblood families, including his father, the directors of the DMLE and Auror departments, the minister, and his senior undersecretary were just some of the people assembled. He was sat down by the Auror and chains wound around his hands, securing him to the chair.</p>
<p>The senior undersecretary was a toad like woman with a hideous black bow perched on the very top of her head, a style that wouldn’t look good on anyone, let alone her. </p>
<p>She cleared her throat with a gentle, but oddly commanding cough, “It is time to begin the hearing of Cedric Diggory, who stands accused of the murder of Harry James Potter.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Don’t forget comments!! They are always welcome and feed my soul! (I will also respond!)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Patronus</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So this chapter is unbetaed as of yet, I’ll post an edit once it is!!<br/>Please leave comments to sustain my soul!</p><p>XOXO<br/>—Appie</p><p>PS: BLACK LIVES MATTER</p><p>EDIT: Chapter now officially Betaed! Thanks Tay!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Cedric sat there as the woman read off charges in a girlish voice. Murder, coercion via love potion, use of an Unforgivable, and fraud. His mind raced as he thought about all the law that those crimes violated, for once in his life, he was glad his father had drilled into him the precise wording of each law of the Wizarding world. </p><p>Love potion was easy enough to get out of, he would have the Auror in charge cast a charm that would divulge any potions he had made and one that was used to determine if a spouse was cheating, though it would work on showing that he and Harry hadn’t so much as touched each other. </p><p>He would have to send his wand in for a long term Priori Incantatem that would take the rest of the summer to get out of the Unforgivable charge, but he spent most of his time in the Muggle world anyway. </p><p>Murder would likely be off the table after the Unforgivable charge was rescinded, Harry had clearly been hit by Avada Kedavra, but the backup plan was a spell demonstration.</p><p>Since this type of Fraud was not monetary, he wouldn’t face prison, just a fine, which he could pay.</p><p>“The accused is now allowed to argue his case. Since he is of age, let the record state that he has elected not to have an attorney.” The undersecretary finished.</p><p>Bullshit. Cedric thought, he came here thinking today was going to be an interview on an open investigation, not a trial.</p><p>“I do not plead guilty to any of the aforementioned crimes.” He started. “I am calling upon the right to have magic done by another to prove my innocence, via Priori Potio and Priori Stuprum for the coercion charge. Let the record show that my potions class did cover amortentia, on the sixth of May, and I have not made it since.”</p><p>The Auror cast the spells and the list of potions he had made and been in contact with the past month were recorded on a sheet of parchment, the other spell made his hands glow white, showing no sexual activity with others in the past year. </p><p>“The court acknowledges the results of Priori Potio and Priori Stuprum.” Unbit, he was pretty sure the undersecretary’s name was something like that, said reluctantly.</p><p>“For the murder charge, I am invoking my right to a spell demonstration.”</p><p>The Wizengamot gasped. This wasn’t applicable to many crimes, so with much pomp and circumstance, a protective barrier appeared over the Wizengamot and a bubble that could only be broken from the inside appeared around the Auror. Only then did the chains unwind from his wrists. He shook out his hands and unholstered his wand. </p><p>“Harry Potter taught me this spell in preparation for the third task of the TriWizard tournament. There are many witnesses to my learning of it beforehand and use of it in the task, I will provide a list if need be.”</p><p>He breathed and conjured up his happiest thoughts, joking around while cleaning up at Grimmuald, playing quidditch, the rush of catching the snitch for the first time, that kiss right before the cup whisked him and Harry away, and his name coming out of the goblet. </p><p>“Expecto Patronum!” He cast the spell and a silvery dolphin flew out of his wand. “As you can see my patronus is a dolphin, a messenger of love.” The dolphin stopped beside him and he noticed something on its side in a slightly bluer silver, a stag. “It carries a message of love, right this moment. The stag on its side is made to represent Harry, as that was his patronus, there are witnesses from a Hogwarts quidditch match that can confirm this. Now I ask you, why would anyone want to kill someone they love enough for that love to be presented on their patronus, a protector made of joy, meant to fight despair?”</p><p>The Wizengamot went quiet as Cedric took his seat. The chains went back around his wrists and the shields went down. </p><p>“I will submit my wand to a long test under Priori Incantatem to disprove the Unforgivable curse allegations. It is your word against mine for the fraud charge and I am willing to pay the fine.”</p><p>“The Wizengamot will now rule for the charges of murder, coercion, and fraud. If Mr. Diggory is not found guilty of murder, he has no need to present his wand for further investigation.” It was the Minister that spoke this time. </p><p>“Wands up in white for innocent red for guilty on the charge of coercion.”</p><p>An array of all white wands, except Underling or whatever her name was, rose into the air. </p><p>“The verdict is not guilty.” Fudge declared, “The charge of fraud in the case of Peter Pettigrew and You-know-who’s living status?”</p><p>Mostly red wands this time. “Guilty, sentenced to a fine of 1000 galleons. The charge of murder?” </p><p>Around seventy percent of the wands showed white. “Not guilty, thus relieving the charge of the use of the Killing Curse. And with that Mr. Diggory you are free to go, the ministry will be relieving your vault of the galleons by the end of the week.”</p><p>Cedric stood up and walked away. He didn’t even noticed his father going to the Minister and asking him to remove the fine from the family vault.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Remember to leave comments and go back and participate in the poll!!!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Hogwarts Letters</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It has been brought to my attention that I have been spelling Fleur wrong this whole time (Thanks for the catch Tay). Apparently my brain processes French much worse than I thought. There was supposed to be a paragraph mentioning her in this chapter, but I have since decided to add to the next chapter.</p><p>Anyhoo, here’s a chapter for y’all and I promise more plot will pick up soon! Please remember to do the poll! Found in chapter 6!!!</p><p>XOXO<br/>—Appie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Cedric decided to go straight to Grimmuald Place after the trial. Lars was a good support, but he had needed to be around people that knew Harry right then.</p><p>When he entered the townhouse he was greeted with the now familiar scent of various magical cleaning products that were being used to clean out the place, and the mumbling of Kreacher, Sirius’ house elf. </p><p>Cedric went up to the room that he and his friends would hang out in, and as he opened the door he heard a squeal from Hermione. She had just opened a letter from Hogwarts.</p><p>“I was made a prefect!” </p><p>“Nice going Hermione.” Complimented Cho.</p><p>“So was I.” Said Ron, though he was more confused. His brothers took the opportunity to tease him.</p><p>“I know getting your prefects badge is exciting, but I thought at least someone would notice me.” Cedric joked and went to sit down on the sofa.</p><p>“Sorry Ced. How was the ministry?” Mark asked.</p><p>“Shitty. The interview thing was bogus. It was a trial by the entire Wizengamot. Luckily, due to lack of any sort of investigation by the ministry, I was able to get off of all charges. Well, except fraud. They still refuse to believe You-know-who is back.” He paused looking for a change of subject. “Did my letter arrive here?” </p><p>“Here it is.” Hermione pulled it out from the stack of Hogwarts letters.</p><p>Cedric opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. Inside along with the usual supply list, were two other pieces of parchment and a badge. </p><p>He quickly glanced over the first piece, it simply said he had been reinstated as quidditch captain for Hufflepuff, the other piece went along with the badge. He scanned that piece for a few seconds then looked at the badge.</p><p>“I’ve been made head boy.”</p><p>“Congrats Ced, I know you’ve always wanted that.” Mark said, ever the best friend. Though he and Mark had opposing views on schoolwork, Mark wanted to go and be in a band after Hogwarts and didn’t think much of classes, Mark had been there all his life. Their dads had been best friends for forever too. </p><p>“Thanks.”</p><p>The next ten or so minutes were occupied by him answering all of Hermione’s prefect related questions. By then the Weasley twins had noticed the parchment saying he had been made quidditch captain.</p><p>“Head boy and Captain of the Hufflepuff team? Jeez, Ced you’re just taking all the leadership positions this year.” George commented.</p><p>“You guys realize that I was already captain right? That letter is just a formality.”</p><p>“Well that had slipped my mind actually,” said Cho, “I was just made captain for Ravenclaw this year.”</p><p>“Well, I’m not going easy on you just cause you’re a new captain if that’s what you’re asking.”</p><p>“Of course not! We’re taking you down.” She replied. </p><p>“You guys think I stand a chance at keeper?” Ron asked his brothers.</p><p>Fred and George responded supportively to Ron for what seemed to Cedric to be one of the first times ever. </p><p>“While I think you will do a great job, I will make my chasers aware that there is fresh meat on the Gryffindor team and they are not to go easy on you.” Cho responded.</p><p>It was then that this conversation struck Cedric in two ways. One being that this conversation was eerily similar to the conversation he and Harry had had the night before the final task. The other being that Harry wouldn’t be a quidditch opponent this year. A normal captain of an opposing team would see the advantage, a new seeker that was probably worse than the last one, easy to beat. Just like Cho had said fresh meat. Cedric on the other hand nearly panicked. He remembered being excited to actually face Harry at quidditch without the interference of the dementors and see who was really better. </p><p>Cedric headed home, his head still swimming with thoughts of Harry.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Please leave comments and kudos!!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Returning</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I’m back! If you haven’t noticed I’ve upped the chapter count, but as with GoF it is still subject to change because I can’t plan to save my life apparently. </p><p>So just as an FYI because otherwise there will be confused readers, Draco has not been tasked with killing Dumbledore. It just didn’t make sense for what I have planned. I’m not sure about Draco’s larger arc yet but I’m thinking some sort of redemption is an order.</p><p>Once again thanks to Tay_Quin for being my beta and tolerating my inability to learn how to use commas the right way. </p><p>XOXO<br/>—Appie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The last few weeks of summer flew by, between seeing friends, setting Fleur and Bill up on an actual date, and going school shopping, September first had arrived unannounced. Remus and Sirius had let Cedric take the map, and the invisibility cloak for the year, seeing as they didn’t have much use for either.</p><p> </p><p>Cedric and his friends departed on foot from Grimmuald place for King’s Cross. They were accompanied by a slew of Order members. The real Mad-Eye Moody led the front of the group. It seemed that Crouch Jr had done a good job at playing Moody’s personality, because Cedric barely noticed any difference.</p><p> </p><p>Kingsley Shacklebolt took up the rear. Cedric really didn’t know much about him, but thought he seemed nice.</p><p> </p><p>Nymphadora Tonks walked by his side. He remembered hearing stories about her antics back in first and second year; she had been quite popular among the Hufflepuffs. He enjoyed talking to her and she was quick to crack a joke.</p><p> </p><p>They ended up just making it to the platform in time and quickly boarded the train. Cedric, Ron, Hermione, and Cho headed to the prefects cabin, while the others found a separate place for later on.</p><p> </p><p>Cedric went to the front of the cabin, where he joined Angelina Johnson.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey Ced.” She smiled, “Glad you’re here, for a minute I thought I’d have to do the head student duties alone.</p><p> </p><p>Cedric smiled awkwardly.</p><p> </p><p>“Here is the password for the Slytherin common room, could you distribute it to the Slytherin prefects?” She asked, holding out a piece of parchment, “Then we can tell the newbies about the patrol schedule.”</p><p> </p><p>“Sure.” He took the parchment and went over to the group of six Slytherins, awaiting instruction.</p><p> </p><p>“I have your password.” Cedric said unsure of how to act around Slytherins, on one hand their parents made up most of the Wizengamot that had helped him, on the other hand, they mostly did that because they knew that it was actually You-Know-Who.</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks.” Said Genevieve Thorne, a Slytherin prefect from his year.</p><p> </p><p>It was then that he noticed that Draco Malfoy had been made prefect. He looked more subdued than Cedric had ever seen him. Of course he mostly had seen him when he was taking a jab at Harry.</p><p> </p><p>“Nice to see you Malfoy.” He said almost awkwardly, then remembered that Lars wanted to get back in touch with his younger brother, “Lars says hi.”</p><p> </p><p>Malfoy looked a bit stunned, but didn’t say anything, so Cedric walked off. He and Angelina spoke to the prefects as a whole and told them about the late-night patrol schedule that the teachers had made, and the password to the prefects bathroom. Not that Cedric planned on using that this year. It would only remind him of Harry.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Soon enough they were meeting Mark, Fred, and George in a compartment. They had found a compartment with Ginny, Neville, and a blonde girl whom he was pretty sure was in Ravenclaw.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, how’d the prefect stuff go?” Asked Mark.</p><p> </p><p>“Good,” Cedric started, but was cut off by Ron.</p><p> </p><p>“They made Malfoy a prefect! Malfoy! As if the git didn’t cause enough damage without having any power over most of the other students!”</p><p> </p><p>As Ron continued to gripe in on one side of the compartment, Cedric turned to the blonde girl to introduce himself, “I’m Cedric, what’s your name?”</p><p> </p><p>It took her a minute to respond, “Oh was that a question for me? I guess it was. My name’s Luna, though most people call me Loony even though that’s not particularly nice. They think I’m different.”</p><p> </p><p>Judging by the Quibbler she was reading upside down, Cedric could see why people thought she was different. He didn’t exactly mind, he had met her father, the editor of the Quibbler, before and he seemed nice, if a bit odd.</p><p> </p><p>The chatter in the compartment was silenced when Malfoy appeared at the door.</p><p> </p><p>“Weasels, Longbottom, Loony, Granger.” He nodded in acknowledgment, “Sorry about Potter.”</p><p> </p><p>“You didn’t even like him you git!” Ron said furiously.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, I do miss having someone to feud with, and besides no one deserves to die that young. Anyway, Diggory may I have a word?”</p><p> </p><p>Cedric stood up and headed into the now empty hallway of the car.</p><p> </p><p>“How do you know Lars?” Malfoy spat.</p><p> </p><p>“I stayed with him this summer. If you remember my parents kicked me out quite publicly, and I found his ad for a roommate in a newspaper.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh. Can you give me his address? I want to get in touch, but my owl struggles with Muggle areas.”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course.” Cedric conjured a piece of parchment with the address on it and handed it to Malfoy.</p><p> </p><p>Malfoy thanked him and turned away. How odd, thought Cedric.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Once the train arrived at Hogwarts the students got off and entered the carriages. Cedric realized for the first time ever that the thestrals pulled the carriages up from the train station. He must have been to far gone into grief at the end of the previous term to notice them. He ended up in a carriage with Neville, Luna, and Ginny apparently Neville and Luna could see the winged horse-like creatures as well.</p><p> </p><p>Cedric settled into a seat at the Hufflepuff table in the Great Hall and went to look for any changes at the staff table (there had been at least one every year since he had been here at least), and saw that the Senior Undersecretary that had been so against him at the trial was sitting in the chair usually reserved for the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and wearing garish pink robes. He still wasn’t sure of her name, but he’d find out soon.</p><p> </p><p>After the sorting and Dumbledore’s usual introductions, also including a substitute Care of Magical Creatures teacher, the new Defense teacher, Umbridge made a speech about new Ministry oversight in the school. Based on the way his trial had gone, Cedric didn’t like the prospect of this. Not one bit.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PARTICIPATE IN THE COMMENTS POLL BETWEEN SIRIUS AND YONKS IN CHAPTER SIX!</p><p>Also comment on this chapter because I’d live to know what you think!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Umbitch</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter made me angry while I wrote it, though that probably means I did it right.</p><p>More notes at the end!!</p><p>XOXO<br/>—Appie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The start of term was going well considering all that was going on. A large percentage of the school hated Cedric for various reasons, rumors about how Umbridge taught were going around like wildfire, and Cedric was still having strange dreams. He was glad to have his own dorms to escape to. He and Angelina had their own dorms on the fifth floor since they were Head Students. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It was Wednesday when he had his first Defense class of the year. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Wands away.” Umbridge said to the class after they had sat down. “You will not be needing them for this class. Please take out your textbooks and read chapters one through three, you shall write an essay summarizing the chapters for homework due next class. You may begin.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What?” Cedric asked, unable to contain it, “No magic? If we don’t learn magic how are we supposed to defend ourselves in the face of a real threat?” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ah, Mr. Diggory, it is quite,” she paused to make one of those annoying throat clearing noises “</span>
  <em>
    <span class="s2">pleasant </span>
  </em>
  <span class="s1">to see you again. To answer your question, no magic will be used in this class this year, for there is no threat to defend yourselves from, also I fear that should you cause anyone injury in this class you will have no way to take responsibility for it if this summer was any indication. You have also earned a detention for speaking out of turn.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“But then how do you explain the death of the boy who </span>
  <span class="s2">lived,</span>
  <span class="s1"> a boy who had survived years of torment and completed multiple dangerous feats?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“His death was tragic, and we hardly have enough proof to prove anyone guilty of his murder. You most certainly showed that at your trial.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“First off, the offer to have my wand searched still stands since I am apparently not using it this year. And second off Harry was murdered by Lord Voldemort!” Cedric practically shouted using the name for the first time. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“That is enough Mr. Diggory! You are disrupting class and wasting my time.” She scribbled on a piece of parchment. “Take this to Professor Sprout at once. Take your things, you will not return to my class today.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric picked up his bag, yanked the note from the toad woman’s hand and left the room, making sure to slam the door. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He stormed off to Sprout’s office, and knocked. He was admitted promptly.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Welcome Mr. Diggory, what brings you to my office today?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Professor Umbridge sent me.” He passed the note, which he had read through by the time he arrived to his head of house.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Is what this note says true?” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yes.” He tried to muster conviction, but it came out as a mutter.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Take a few toffees, Diggory. I know you probably need them after the few months you’ve had.” She said sliding a bowl of toffee that she had kept fully stocked for as long as Cedric could remember, he took five. “Well, shouting at a teacher is against the rules, as it falls under disrespect, but I know that you are more right than her and her punishment is unjust. I wish there was something I could do about the detentions, but as High Inquisitor she has more power than me. You are welcome to stay here and get some work done or talk if you need to until next period. I’m afraid I have to teach you after that.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Thank you Professor. I think I’ll just get my work done.” He took out his defense textbook and started on the homework, he had read ahead over the summer as a way to distract himself.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Once the bell rang, Cedric and Professor Sprout went off to the greenhouses for the next class. Cedric didn’t really need Herbology for his chosen profession, nor was he anywhere near top of the class, but he liked the way Professor Sprout taught and her class always helped him clear his head.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric settled in at one of the workbenches and was joined by the Weasley twins within the next few minutes.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“And we thought we were good at getting thrown outta class.” George said.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You really put on quite the show there, Ced.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Thanks, I guess.” He muttered, that wasn’t the kind of thing he would usually receive compliments on.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Umbitch was livid once you left the room. I mean not that she yelled or anything,”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“But we could totally see the fumes coming off her head.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Good.” Cedric said. “And Umbitch?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Before they could comment Professor Sprout called “Attention class! I’m going to be passing out your research assignments that you will be working on for the rest of term.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric turned his attention to class, while the twins continued jabbering.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Umbitch, as he had come to call her in his head, thanks to Fred and George, had set his detentions for Fridays. Cedric didn’t know how long it was supposed to last, but he set his first Quidditch practice for that Saturday afternoon just in case he needed to sleep in. Luckily, he had no need for new players that year. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He arrived at the door to her office and knocked politely. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Enter.” Her girlish voice floated from the room. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He did just that and once she looked up and saw him she said, “At least you know how to be on time Mr. Diggory, I can’t say that for many of your peers. During our detentions you shall write lines. I have a quill for you to use. Since you seem to have an issue with taking responsibility, you will write ‘It is my fault’ until I feel that the message has sunk in for the night.” She slid a piece of parchment and a quill towards Cedric and turned back to her work.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He started to write and soon felt a stabbing on the back of his other hand. The words ‘It is my’ were already etched into his skin, the cuts starting to bleed. He had heard of this type of quill before, one of his grandparents had once said that they were commonplace in Hogwarts for punishments for repeated misconduct back when he had attended. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric bared his teeth and settled in for a long night of pain.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He was released around midnight, he quickly made his way to the fifth floor. He entered the Prefects bathroom and grabbed the magical first aid kit within the room. He slathered on a healing salve and wrapped his hand in bandages. He did a replicating spell on the salve, as that was protocol, so the resources didn’t run out. He then left and went down the hall to his room. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He promptly fell fast asleep.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>What’d’ya think?</p><p>I really enjoyed figuring out how to do the “have a biscuit, Potter” thing with Sprout without making her just another McGonagall. I also enjoyed using the term Umbitch so expect to see that a lot in future. Especially because she and I share a birthday which gives me an extra reason to hate her.</p><p>The poll is officially over, but I finally think I know what to do with the results, *grins.*</p><p>Please leave comments and kudos, they feed my soul!</p><p>XOXO<br/>—Appie</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Tom Riddle</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Okay so I noticed some weird copy error on this chapter so I fixed that(7/8/20)! And also I added a line because of continuity purposes</p><p>Enjoy!</p><p>XOXO</p><p>—Appie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A few weeks into term Cedric got a note from Professor Dumbledore, telling him that his first lesson he could use to defend himself from You-Kn—Voldemort. Ever since he had said the name in Umbitch’s class he had tried his best to get used to the name. Harry hadn’t been afraid of so he shouldn’t be either. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He entered the office that Saturday night with the password Fizzing Whizbee. Dumbledore greeted him cordially and they sat down. The Pensieve was out on his desk. Cedric noticed that Dumbledore’s hand had been blackened and shriveled, as if it had been cursed. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What happened to your hand?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What happened to my hand is inconsequential for now. For our studies we shall be leaving solid fact behind and we will be venturing into the cloudy world that is guesswork.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“About what?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Our adversary of course, Tom Riddle. We can find the beginnings of his story in a the memory of Robert Ogden.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Dumbledore held out a vial of silvery liquid, and slowly poured it into the Pensieve. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“After you.” Dumbledore said.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric lowered his head into the silvery depths, and soon Dumbledore followed.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Once they resurfaced after viewing the memory Cedric’s first thought was what do the Gaunts have to do with anything?</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric voiced his question and Dumbledore went on to explain, “Merope Gaunt would later use a love potion to seduce Tom Riddle Sr, once her father and brother were taken to Azkaban and she was no longer under their control.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“That was who was passing by wasn’t it. Merope was practically stalking him.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Dumbledore nodded and looked as though he had just made a discovery, “Yes, it was. She would then marry the subject of her affections. She would eventually stop dosing him with the love potion, and he would abandon her and unknowingly their child.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Tom Riddle Jr. became Voldemort?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Quite right. Now that is where we shall leave it for tonight.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Goodnight Professor.”</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>“Goodnight Mr. Diggory. Oh and if you have any strange dreams that concern you, please tell myself or any of the heads of houses immediately.”</p><p> </p><p>Cedric nodded and left.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">As the first Hogsmeade weekend neared another Educational Decree was passed and to be enforced by Umbitch. Cedric found out about the Decree when Angelina stormed through the adjoining door between their rooms one afternoon.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE NEW EDUCATIONAL DECEREE?” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“No, what is it?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“All clubs, including quidditch are disbanded. We have to get approved by Umbridge before we can start practice again.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">“Wait, WHAT?” Cedric said, jumping up from where he sat at his desk, “I have to convince </span> <span class="s2">her</span> <span class="s1"> to reinstate my quidditch team? Guess that’s probably one less team for you to beat. She’ll never reinstate the team if I’m in charge.”</span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Don’t think like that Ced. You’ll be fine.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I am still serving detentions for that first day in class! She has docked points from all my essays because I ‘don’t have an honest perspective,’ but you’ve proofread my essays was there anything wrong with them?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“No, I guess she really does have it in for you.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I could pass my captainship onto Mark. I mean I’ve been captain before, I could give someone else a chance.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I guess you could. Given that Mark would want it. He’s not one to want leadership all that much. I’m going down there now to get my team back for practice by tomorrow, I still am in the process of training two new players. And neither are anywhere close to the abilities of Wood or Harry.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Who’s the new seeker?” Cedric knew that Ron had made the team, but no one had said who made seeker. Cedric was somewhat thankful for that, because he knew he would have judgements for whoever it was. On the other hand Cedric wanted to study his competition, he knew he and Cho were evenly matched and that while Malfoy was fast he was arrogant and couldn’t play well in the rain, this new seeker was totally unknown.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ginny Weasley, I thought you knew, you seem to be friends with her brothers.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I am, but they probably just wanted to protect my feelings.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I’m gonna go now, unless you need someone to talk to?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“No, I’ll be fine.” Cedric said. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric dragged Mark to Sprout’s office later that day to have her transfer who was captain of the Hufflepuff team. It usually wasn’t one of the beaters, but the team needed to actually be reinstated in order for that to matter.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Afterwords Mark pulled him aside. “You know that even though I have the title, you’ll still be running practice right?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I figured you’d say something like that. Positions of authority don’t tend to agree with you.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Duh, it took you twenty minutes to convince me to even come down here, and that was before you told me about the position. But I’ll do my due diligence to the team and talk to Umbridge tomorrow morning.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You know you’re the best friend I could ever ask for right?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Of course I am. I’m awesome!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric laughed and they headed down to dinner.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Please leave comments and kudos, and also comments! They are much appreciated!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. The Idea</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Two chapters in one day! Wow I’m good! Anyway, thanks to Tay for doing a last minute Beta on this one (I’m actually writing this as she does the read through). </p><p>More chapter spoiler-y notes at the end. </p><p>XOXO<br/>—Appie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric was studying in his dorm, when there was a frantic knocking at the door to the hall. He went to open it to find an excited looking Hermione and a bewildered looking Cho.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I’ve got it!” Hermione declared as she entered and flopped onto the small purple and gray loveseat that was in Cedric’s room. Both he and Angelina had one since it would be out of his way to go to their common rooms. Her bag fell to the floor with a heavy thunk.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Hello Hermione.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cho walked in and flopped back on his bed with practiced ease. “You have to explain what you mean, Hermione, you’re freaking him out.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I have the solution to Umbridge’s bad teaching!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Okay, so are you going to tell me why it involves you bursting into my room.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“A club, for us to learn defense.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ok, what about the club ban? Umbridge clearly wants us to have no practical experience.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“We meet in secret of course.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Who would teach? Where would we meet?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Here’s where the coming into your room is involved. We think you should teach.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“And by we,” Cho piped up, “She means her. I thought it was a good idea, but you have a lot on your plate to do so <em>I</em> </span>
  <span class="s1">thought that we could convince someone else. And to answer your question of where, there is a room that I found a while back that can provide you with anything you need. Even secrecy.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I know you have a lot on your plate, but you do have the highest Defense marks in the school. You also learned a bunch of new advanced stuff for last year. We would have trust from all our members, I know a spell that we can put on a sign-up sheet. Please, please, please, say you’re in?” Hermione pleaded.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Of course I’m in, Hermione. I’ll do anything to screw over Umbitch. I even know a charm that we can use to reach out to our members, once we get going, but I need you to figure out how to get potential members, and a place to have them sign up.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I’ve got this.” Cho said, sitting up, “I’ll get members, we’ll meet at the Hog’s Head this weekend, when we all head into Hogsmeade.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“And no one lower than fourth year.” Cedric added, as Cho made her way out of the room, presumably to go find potential members. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I’ll come find you, when I have the sign up sheet.” Hermione said, picking up her bag. “I think I have a name that you’re really gonna like”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Once she left, Cedric went over to his bed where he liked to study, he found his desk was too upright for him to properly think, most of the time. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">As he settled in to study, he couldn’t help but smile.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">That Saturday, Cedric headed into Hogsmeade with his friends. A nervous energy had settled into his stomach, he hadn’t felt this nervous since the night before he faced the dragon last year. Hermione was leading the pack confidently, though Cedric did suspect that she was hiding her own nerves as well. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">They entered the Hog’s head and ordered drinks, as Cedric looked around he realized that there were only a handful of other people there. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Around ten a few students started to join their gathering. Mark talked to the barman and got them a private room to have their gathering. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cho stood guard by the door and let in the people she had invited, one of the first being one of her Ravenclaw friends Marietta. Cedric had insisted that she not purposely leave out any of the Slytherins she trusted, but the only one that showed was Genevieve Thorne. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Once people stopped trickling in, it was time to start.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Alright you all know that you were invited here because you hate Umbridge and want to see her lose it.” Cedric began, “Hermione came up with the idea of having a defense club, not only so we can pass the class this year,” he paused and surveyed the room, “but also because Voldemort is back and there will more likely than not be a time where we will have to fight him.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">An audible gasp was heard from the group, then a hand went up. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric called on the hand before he realized who it belonged to. Eve stood up to ask her question, “He really is back? How do we know for sure?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric stared at his former friend. Once his bearings came back he pulled aside the collar of his shirt to show the scar that it covered, no one had really seen it, besides Lars maybe. “How else would I have gotten this? You all saw me in the maze, I didn’t encounter anything that hurt me like this.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The room went silent. Then one of the fifth year Gryffindors whispered, as if he was saying his thoughts aloud, “It’s just like Harry’s, Cedric must have survived the killing curse.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You’re not wrong.” Cedric said, readjusting his collar.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The Gryffindor straightened realizing he had actually spoken, and that everyone had heard.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“How do we know that you can help us learn defense?” Asked a voice in the back.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I have the top marks in Defense in my year, I also learned some new spells for the tournament last year. I’m also good at leadership, I guess.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Genevieve said, “That’s good enough for me so long as we have a place and a time to meet. Let’s make that pink toad squirm come exam week!” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Once people saw a Slytherin side with Cedric over Umbridge, which didn’t happen often, most people started to warm up to the idea.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hermione came to the front with a sheet of parchment, “As a way to make sure that we can all keep a secret Cho and I have put a form of the Fidelius on this sheet of parchment. Once you sign your name you can only talk about the club to people who’s names are on the list. If you want to let someone in, Cedric has been named our secret keeper.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Hermione passed the sheet to him for him to sign, since the first signature was the secret keeper. Cedric started to tear up when he saw the club title on top, </span><span class="s2">Harry’s Avengers. </span><span class="s1">They had discussed the name at length, choosing to call it the H. A. for short, but seeing it in writing made it real.</span> <span class="s1">He signed his name and passed it to the next person.</span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Before you leave, take one of our special galleons, in place of the serial number a date and time for a meeting will appear, the coin will turn hot when a change is made. Do. Not. Spend. It.” Cho said after she signed her name while Cedric started to pass out the galleons. “There will be a door on the seventh floor across from the portrait of Barnabas the Barmy it will only be visible if you have signed your name. We will meet in that room. The first meeting will show up within a week, please enter and leave at scattered intervals, so as not to draw attention.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“See you all soon.” Cedric said as he passed out the final galleon. Umbitch wouldn’t know what hit her come exams.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So the reason I didn’t go with the DA should be obvious, Cedric is not as loyal to Dumbledore as Harry was. </p><p>Also the ships I had planned for the ending have changed within the course of my writing the last two chapters (don’t worry, they don’t affect the main ship! Nor have anything to do with the poll). That was mostly because the characters decided to have minds of their own, and disliked what I had planned. </p><p>Please leave comments and kudos, I always want to know what you think!!!!</p><p>XOXO<br/>—Appie</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Death Day</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Im not gonna lie this chapter is not the best in format, I will probably rework it at some point.</p><p>Today is always a hard day and a day of memory for my family because my Grandmother died over a decade ago today. I didn’t really realize that until after I wrote this chapter. I hope that wherever she is she is having a death day celebration as good as Harry is. </p><p>For Harry this is late June before he turns 16, for Cedric it is late September/early October.</p><p>XOXO<br/>—Appie</p><p>EDIT: I just did the math and it’s late October!!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been nearly a year dead time since Harry had arrived in the afterlife. He had just started G4 science, and S1 defense against the dark arts. He was midway through A1 for his other courses at Hades. That was the benefit of being a soul over a human, the souls didn’t need to sleep as much and tended not to take days off, though Harry didn’t know why the latter occurred. </p><p>Even when he did sleep he found it difficult, he had dreams where he could see what Cedric was doing, he always woke up sad on those days. The other thing was that he could see through his eyelids when he closed his eyes. His Mum had quickly gone out and bought him an array of sleep masks to help when she found out about his predicament. </p><p>Today Harry and his parents were spending the day at Oliver’s house in the pool, Bex had come as well. Harry found swimming much easier as a soul, though he was instantly reminded that the last time he had swam he was saving Cedric and Gabrielle from the lake. </p><p>Bex jumped into the water, creating a large splash that yanked Harry from his thoughts. Without really thinking he had pulled up a strong shield to deflect the spray. </p><p>Bex resurfaced and noticed the shield, “Wow Har, at the rate you’re going in defense you’ll be finished with the S levels before you’re of age!” </p><p>“You could become a teacher if you wanted.” Oliver commented before going in for a dive off the diving board.</p><p>Harry nodded, he had never really considered having a profession before. He had always been worried about Voldemort, though that was hardly a problem for him now. It was now Cedric’s problem. He had thought being an auror would make sense for him, but now he wasn’t so sure. Being a quidditch player had also crossed his mind, but teaching did have a nice ring to it. </p><p> </p><p>On the anniversary of his death Harry had a strange dream. It wasn’t like he was in Cedric’s head like usual, even though he knew on some level he was, Cedric was dreaming. He was dreaming of a corridor that ended in a locked door, Cedric had almost reached it when he jerked awake. Harry was still asleep and inside Cedric’s head. He took in the room where Cedric slept, it was done up in purples and grays, there was a nice wardrobe, desk, and loveseat in the room. Cedric seemed to realize he was running late, and got dressed in a rush.<br/>
Cedric had nearly gotten to the great hall for breakfast when Harry woke up and was taken from Cedric’s mind. </p><p>As Harry started going through his own morning routine, he thought about the research he had done on the soul issue and how to save Cedric. So far he had figured out that there were only a handful of human horcruxes in history and only a small amount of those were officially ‘destroyed.’ None of them had survived destruction. The others died of more natural causes. Horcrux transfer had occurred before, but mostly to someone who died moments later. There wasn’t any record of a person having multiple Horcruxes within them. He still didn’t know if there was anything else that Cedric had that could save him, some sort of special magic, or maybe something that Voldemort had done during the process that had brought him back. </p><p>By this time Harry had made it downstairs. His parents had made a big deal for his death day. They had planned a party and Harry had taken a day off from Hades. The handful of death day parties he had been to in the afterlife were nothing like the one he had attended for Nearly Headless Nick. They were happy and bright and fun. Much like a birthday party, though the focus was a bit different. </p><p>He also had his sixteenth birthday coming up, but he didn’t particularly care. Because he had had plenty of terrible birthdays, but his death day would always be associated with reuniting with his parents. </p><p>A large cry “HAPPY DEATH DAY!” Came from the living room as Harry entered. Apparently his parents had arranged for a brunch party.</p><p>Harry smiled and loaded his plate with pancakes. Today was going to be a good day.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Harry’s Avengers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here’s the chapter! I’m excited to see what you think of the first meeting of the H.A. (Hint hint that means please comment!) </p><p>I’m at the point where, even my poor planning writer brain is thinking about how this part is gonna end. I’ve even already decided that the second to last part (There’s gonna be a separate epilogue) is gonna be called “Cedric Diggory and the Many Horcruxes.” </p><p>I’ve noticed that this has more hits than “Beyond,” did you guys not read that? (If you didn’t you should because that means that the Harry chapters are probably making you feel a bit lost.) Or does this get more people clicking on it then opting out cause they realize its part of a series?</p><p>I’m also thinking since I have more time on my hands cause it’s summer, that I might do some sort of writing prompt askbox thing on Tumblr, if I did that would any of you be interested? </p><p>Thanks again to Tay for being a great Beta!!!</p><p>XOXO<br/>—Appie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <em>
    <span class="s1">He was at a party, but he wasn’t himself, that much he was sure of. He didn’t recognize any of the people there, though two of them looked vaguely familiar. Those were the ones he found himself calling Mum and Dad. The one he had called Dad looked a lot like Harry, except the eyes, those looked like they belonged to the one he had called Mum. Everyone had started singing, and a cake was brought out. It was frosted in vanilla and chocolate. The writing, done in chocolate, read ‘Happy Death Day Harry!’ Just as he went to blow out the candles, </span>
  </em>
  <span class="s1">Cedric woke up</span>
  <em>
    <span class="s1">.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He had taken an afternoon nap that Saturday. There was a quidditch game going on, Gryffindor vs. Slytherin, but he was too tired to go. His detention with Umbridge last night had gone on about an hour longer than usual, the only bright side was that she had declared the message had “sunk in enough” for it to be his last detention. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">If he was being honest he was also too afraid to go to the game. It would be too hard to see a new Gryffindor seeker. He was also afraid the crowded stands would bring back memories of the third task. Though he knew he’d have to return sometime, he was playing Ravenclaw next week. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric pondered the fact that he had just had a dream about Harry that wasn’t some sort of nightmare. Yes, it was strange, he had been in Harry’s body and a bunch of people he had never seen before were there, but it was also a celebration. The celebration of Harry’s death day, as if it were a happy occasion, even though it hadn’t even been six months since Harry had died. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric quickly checked the time and realized that it was almost time for dinner. He had said he would check out the room and get it ready for the first meeting of the H.A. that evening. He quickly grabbed the Marauder’s Map and the Invisibility cloak that Sirius and Remus had lent him and dashed to the seventh floor.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">After setting up Cedric went down to dinner. It seemed to be a completely normal affair, except he would catch a glance from some of the members of the H.A. every now and then. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric and Mark were the first ones to arrive in what Cho had called the Room of Requirement after dinner. She, Hermione, and Ron arrived next. Then the Weasley twins and Ginny, three of the fifth year Gryffindors, Marietta and Eve, Genevieve, Angelina, a rather large group of Hufflepuffs, and finally Luna Lovegood. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The Room had truly outdone itself, the floors were covered in dueling mats. Some targets and practice dummies were lined up off to the side of the room. The other side held an elevated platform that Cedric could teach from and a couple of chalkboards for him to write out things if need be. There was a place for him to pin the Marauder’s Map to the wall, so that they could see who was in the hall at any given moment. The room was soundproofed and the lights would flash anytime someone came within five feet of the door. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Welcome to the first meeting of the H.A.” Cedric said from where he stood on his teaching platform. “Today we’re gonna start off with something easy, a disarming spell.” That spell had been a favorite of Harry’s, though Cedric wasn’t sure why, and it was quite simple, so Cedric decided to start off with it. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Isn’t that a bit, oh I don’t know, easy?” Asked Genevieve.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yes, but its a good starting point for us, and a quick way to end a one on one duel, this is a defense club after all. Why don’t you come up here and try to disarm me.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Genevieve nodded and came over to the platform.</span>
  <em>
    <span class="s2"> “Expeliarmus.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric’s wand flew from his hand, but dropped right by his feet. He was able to easily bend over and pick it up. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You see, if your stance was stronger and you held more conviction my wand would have come right to your hand.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He quickly demonstrated, then returned the Slytherin’s wand.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Pair up and start practicing, I’ll come around and make notes once you get going.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">And so the first meeting of Harry’s Avengers went smoothly. Cedric was able to make corrections and he saw a vast improvement in most people. Slowly everyone trickled out of the Room when time was up. Since most of the school prefects were in the club, save most of the Slytherin prefects, a Hufflepuff, and two Ravenclaws, Cedric made sure each group that left had a prefect with them, to act as though they might be escorting students back to bed, thus implying that the students had already been punished with points takenaway or a detention. Cedric was the last to leave, he was accompanying Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Neville was first since Gryffindor was closest. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Good work tonight Neville, I can already see you improving.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Th-thanks. I never have been good at these sorts of things.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I think you just could use some more confidence, you too Luna. You both seem talented, but get in your own heads. Try not to worry so much about perfect technique, that’ll come with time.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Thanks, goodnight Cedric.” Neville nodded and retreated into the Gryffindor portrait hole.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Luna thanked him for his vote of confidence and then proceeded to ramble on about some magical creatures that Cedric had never heard of, but he listened anyway. She smiled and said goodnight once they had reached the door to the Ravenclaw dorms. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric, not wanting to risk it, slipped on the invisibility cloak and then headed back to his dorms on the fifth floor.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Please leave comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. The One that Takes Place Almost Entirely in Dumbledore’s Office</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This one’s a long one so watch out! It also includes a moment from one of the ships that the characters decided they wanted, and I just went with it. I might do a one shot of the scene later on from their perspectives if anyone is interested. </p><p>Yes, this chapter is titled like an episode of Friends, once again I saw an opportunity and went with it.</p><p>XOXO<br/>—Appie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Term marched on, the Hufflepuff team had just barely beaten Ravenclaw, out of spite Cho spent a week refusing to talk to Cedric. Halloween had passed with less pomp and circumstance as usual thanks to Umbitch. The H.A. met irregularly throughout November and December so as not to draw suspicion. Their last meeting before the holidays was really just some review and a small celebration. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Since they finished before curfew, people filtered out on their own. Cedric had left and about halfway to his dorm he realized he had forgotten one of his textbooks in the Room. He dashed back and opened the door, to find Cho and Hermione under the mistletoe, kissing. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Sorry to interrupt. I- um... Forgot my textbook.” Cedric said awkwardly.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The two girls looked over at him, they were holding hands. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric went over to the platform grabbed his book and made to leave, when Hermione said, “You won’t tell anyone right?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“No. But,” He pointed at Cho, “You and I are gonna talk later, alright?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cho nodded and Cedric left the room. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Once Cedric had retreated to his quarters he was met by Angelina, they had some sort of unspoken agreement to check and make sure the other got back safely after an H.A. meeting. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You’re late.” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yeah, I forgot my textbook.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Well, try not to do that again. Sprout came by with a note for you from Dumbledore.” She held out a scroll of parchment.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Thanks, um goodnight then.” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“See you in the morning Diggory.” She turned and left.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric quickly got ready for bed and took a moment to read the note from Dumbledore, they hadn’t had another lesson since the first one, so Cedric was excited to have a date for a new lesson. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The note said they would meet on the last day of term. Cedric set the note down and settled in for the night.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <em><span class="s2">He was slythering on the ground, why though? A glance around told him that he was a snake. He was in that same corridor as before. Heading towards the same door. This time he smelled something, no someone. He hissed at a spot where someone hid. A white hand near him went to remove the cloak hiding the person. The hand was somehow his as well. Before he understood what he was doing he had lowered his head to strike at the person. The person cried out and </span> <span class="s1">he woke up.</span></em>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric was jolted awake by the dream, it had felt so real. Then he remembered words that Dumbledore had said the last time they had met, he was supposed to tell someone about strange dreams.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Sure he had strange dreams before now, but this one seemed like it could have consequences. The others were walking down a hall, or being in Harry’s body at a death day party in the afterlife. Others just seemed to be of memories of the graveyard. Someone had gotten hurt in this one.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He jumped up and dashed out of his room towards the headmaster’s office. He whispered the password and dashed into the office, where Dumbledore seemed to be working still, maybe even waiting for him, the man always did seem to have a sixth sense for these kinds of things.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Good evening Mr. Diggory.” Dumbledore greeted him, “What brings you to my office tonight?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You said that if I had a strange dream I should tell you right?” The headmaster nodded, “Well, I just had a dream that felt real, like scary real. I was a snake and I was in a hallway, maybe in the lower levels of the Ministry, I’m pretty sure Voldemort was there. I-er the snake attacked someone who was waiting by this door. I had been seeing it in my dreams for a while now, but up until tonight I thought it was just a standard bad dream, but I don’t think it is this time, I think— Ah!” A stabbing pain went through his shoulder right where his scar was, he reached a hand over to grab it. “I think that the person, the snake attacked was Arthur Weasley.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Dumbledore quickly cast two patronuses and sent them off, after speaking to them for a moment. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">As the pain started to subside, Professor McGonagall entered with the Weasleys, who were still in their pajamas. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What is this about Albus?” Asked McGonagall.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Mr. Diggory here has given me reason to believe Arthur was attacked on guard duty. He missed the check in ten minutes ago, so I have sent word to Miss Tonks to get him to St. Mungos. I am going to send the children to Headquarters now, so that they are able to visit him as soon as they can.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric looked over at the Weasleys, Ron had gone pale and Fred had a comforting arm around his sister. Dumbledore activated a portkey and gave it to them, “You coming Ced?” Asked George.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“No, I’ve got some things I still have to do here, besides it’s only a few days. And Lars is expecting me to take the train.” Cedric said, he knew this was a family thing and couldn’t help feeling guilty, he felt like he was the one attacking Arthur. Not to mention if he had brought his dreams to Dumbledore’s attention earlier maybe the attack could have been prevented.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ok, see you then.” Said Fred, just as the portkey activated and whisked them away.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Minerva please escort Mr. Diggory back to his rooms for the night,” Dumbledore said, “I will see you on Friday, Mr. Diggory.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric nodded and then left with Professor McGonagall.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Come Friday, Cedric was exhausted, he hadn’t gotten much sleep since the dream about Mr. Weasley and the end of term was not being particularly kind to him. He still hadn’t had a chance to talk to Cho about what was going on with her and Hermione, but he also didn’t want to push it, since Hermione didn’t want him to tell it was clearly a very new thing. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">On Friday Cedric headed to Dumbledore’s office the headmaster was waiting at his desk “Good evening Professor.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Right on time Mr. Diggory.” Cedric sat down opposite Dumbledore, the headmaster continued, “Do you recall where we left off on the story of Tom Riddle?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“He was the son of Merope Gaunt, a witch, and Tom Riddle Sr, a muggle. After her father and brother were imprisoned Merope used a love potion to seduce and marry Tom Sr. At one point she stopped dosing him and he left her, even though she was pregnant.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Quite right, she went to London, and sold her only possession of value, a locket that once belonged to her ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, to a Caractacus Burke. She ended up dying soon after giving birth, only living long enough to name her child after his father and grandfather.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Tom Marvolo Riddle.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Today we will venture into one of my memories, where we shall meet a young Tom Riddle.” Dumbledore nodded at the Pensieve and they both went in. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">When they surfaced Dumbledore asked Cedric what he had noticed about Tom’s character, “He hates his name, maybe because it didn’t seem very special. He was a loner, no friends, he would rather terrorize the other kids, take their things. He also wanted to go to Diagon Alley alone. He also had control over his powers, at least more than I had before coming here.” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Very good. I believe disliked his name because it made him ordinary, he had a hatred of being seen as such, he stopped going by Tom before he had taken his OWLs.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“He went by Lord Voldemort in school?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yes, he even started gathering followers around his fifth year. I also do not think he ever wanted anyone to be close to him, even any of his death eaters. The ones that claim to know him well do not know as much as they think. He also liked to collect things, trophies of his victories over others.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Is that something I should remember?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yes it will become important, soon.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric nodded. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“There is also something else I would like to discuss with you, the prospect of occlumency lessons.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I already learned occlumency, my mother made me when I was twelve. I never really had a reason to use it much. Might I ask why?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Your dream earlier this week. If you didn’t realize, you were seeing into Lord Voldemort’s mind. A product of you surviving his curse last spring perhaps. I believe Harry had a similar issue.” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric frowned.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“It was quite helpful this time, I received word that Arthur is doing quite well because we were able to get to him quickly. But the connection can work both ways,”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“So occlumency can keep him out of my mind, and keep me from having some of my nightmares?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Precisely. I think that it is now time for us to turn in for the night. Merry Christmas, my boy.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Merry Christmas Professor.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric headed out of the office and to his dorm. He spent some time using a breathing exercise to clear his thoughts and then fell fast asleep.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Please leave comments and kudos!!</p><p>Also, I mentioned I might do a Tumblr writing askbox thing if you think that’s a good idea please comment!!</p><p>I only turn on the moderations so that I make sure to read and respond to every comment!!!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Malfoy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A lovely late night chapter all day in the making thanks to multiple distractions. It includes some Tea on Cho and Hermione, a small amount of angst, and a bit of plot that has no actual direction yet. </p><p>Also this is officially my longest work, now surpassing Cedric and the GoF in chapters and word count. Just think at this point in the last one you all were just shocked I had the guts to kill Harry and not have him bounce back. (I also have realized that my pacing is less behind than I thought it was since I’m halfway through the year and my planned chapter count.) All in all I’m pretty proud of myself.</p><p>Also just as an FYI, I don’t particularly like Snape so don’t expect a whole lot of redemption for him. I also have no idea what to do with Draco so there’s that</p><p>Anyway, enjoy!</p><p>XOXO<br/>—Appie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric boarded the train with Cho and Mark, Hermione had the first prefects patrol on the train so Cho </span>
  <span class="s2">took</span>
  <span class="s1"> her stuff to the compartment. Mark peeled off</span>
  <span class="s2">,</span>
  <span class="s1"> to go talk music with a few Gryffindors</span>
  <span class="s2">,</span>
  <span class="s1"> leaving Cedric to talk with Cho.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“So Hermione huh?” Cedric asked as he closed the door to the compartment and sat down.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“We’re doing this now then?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric just nodded.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s3">“Well, um yeah. It kind of started when we were working on defense homework in the library and she had the idea for the H.A. For me at least. Anyway, Tuesday night after you had left</span>
  <span class="s2">,</span>
  <span class="s3"> I noticed she was crying. I asked her what was wrong, and she said something like ‘What would he think? Us using his name like this?’ I could tell she was talking about Harry, but I didn’t really have anything to say so I put my arm around her and started to lead her to the platform to sit.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>Cedric blinked, he had been so wrapped up in his own grief and drama he hadn’t thought to talk to some of the others, especially Ron and Hermione, who had lost their best friend.</p><p> </p><p>“She stopped walking halfway there, she seemed like she was done having a meltdown for the moment. I asked what I could do to help and she glanced up at the ceiling, where the mistletoe was. She asked me to kiss her, I said yes, then you came in and ruined the moment.”</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry, I forgot my textbook. At least I was less disruptive than Moaning Myrtle.”</p><p> </p><p>“What?”</p><p> </p><p>“Harry and I’s first almost kiss was ruined by Moaning Myrtle.” It was then that Cedric realized that it had been almost a year since that night.</p><p> </p><p>Somehow Cho sensed this and pulled him into a side hug.</p><p> </p><p>Once the train arrived in London, Cedric got off and trudged through the snow until he arrived at the apartment building. He let himself up and dropped his trunk in his room. He went to make some tea to warm up and found a note from Lars.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Ced,</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>I have to do a sketch of a Christmas activity for one of my classes next semester, so I went down to draw at the ice rink tonight. You’re welcome to come find me, hot chocolate’s all on me tonight and we can grab a bite nearby.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>—Lars</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Attached to the note was a flyer for a holiday ice rink a few streets away. Cedric poured his tea into a to go mug, reapplied his warming charms and headed off to find Lars.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Monday Cedric and his friends were able to visit Mr. Weasley at St. Mungos. He was actually doing quite well, despite the fact that the healers were still working out how to drain the poison so that they could finish healing him.</p><p> </p><p>The group decided to wander around while they waited for Mr. Weasley’s bandages to get changed. Ron almost lead them into the Janus Thickey ward to see Lockhart, something Cedric most certainly didn’t feel like doing that day. Cedric saw Neville inside and had a realreason to lead them away to the food court, though he said that Lockhart would just be especially annoying without his memories.</p><p> </p><p>They returned to Grimmuald place and spent the rest of the day holding a chess tournament. Cedric returned home in much higher spirits than he had been going into the day. He still couldn’t shake the feeling that the attack on Mr. Weasley had been his fault somehow, but spending the day with the Weasleys who didn’t seem to hate him helped.</p><p> </p><p>He had just gotten out of the shower and settled down to do a bit of reading, he found a bunch of muggle fantasy books at a store over the summer for cheap, or at least Lars said it was, Cedric had practically dragged him along, when a knock came from the door. Cedric checked the peephole, it was Draco Malfoy.</p><p> </p><p>“Lars! Your brother’s here!” Cedric called as he undid the locks and let the Slytherin in.</p><p> </p><p>“I had no where else to go. Father was acting more crazy than usual. He was talking about having the Dark Lord move in. He wants me marked after OWLs. This was the only place I could think of.”</p><p> </p><p>“Wait slow down, come have a seat.” Cedric said. “Take a breath. Once Lars comes in start from the beginning.”</p><p> </p><p>Lars came in covered in some sort of colors, Cedric wasn’t quite sure what the medium was. “What’s all this yelling about? Oh, Draco.”</p><p> </p><p>“Lars.”</p><p> </p><p>Cedric stepped away to let the brothers have their reunion. He made tea and came back in to see the brothers sitting on the couch silently. </p><p> </p><p>“Okay, start from the beginning.” Cedric said, passing Draco some tea.</p><p> </p><p>“I got off the train and my parents took me home and everything was normal. When we got home I heard Father on a floo call about an upcoming breakout of Azkaban. Then over dinner, he and Mother were talking about preparations to move the Dark Lord in. When I asked he said something about getting me marked before I went off to sixth year. Later that night I told Mother I didn’t want any of that and she came up with an excuse to get me out.I guess father bought it. She brought me here, so I could be with family for Christmas or something.”</p><p> </p><p>“I knew he was a shitty person, but siding with Voldemort? I’m glad I Father disowned me. Don’t worry, you can stay, we’ll even figure something out for the summer.” Lars said.</p><p> </p><p>“I have to go. The Order needs to hear about this.” Cedric said standing up.</p><p> </p><p>“Stop, you just came from there. You’ll end up having to spend a while there because of the nonsense of the portraits and the elf and the sheer amount of people. Go in the morning.”</p><p> </p><p>“Fine I’ll go in the morning.”</p><p> </p><p>“Wait, where are you going?” Draco asked.</p><p> </p><p>“The Headquarters for Dumbledore’s resistance to Voldemort, it’s protected by fidelius, so I can’t really tell you more or bring you there.”</p><p> </p><p>Draco nodded.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, little Dragon, let’s get you set up for the night and we can consider the fate of the world tomorrow.”</p><p> </p><p>“Didn’t I tell you to never call me that?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, but as your big brother, it is my duty to annoy the crap out of you.”</p><p> </p><p>Draco rolled his eyes and Lars stood up to find some pajamas for his brother. Cedric took his tea to his room and did his best to settle in, though he felt antsy. Before he went to sleep, he had to do two rounds of breathing exercises in order to get his thoughts cleared.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He woke up early the next day and as soon as he looked presentable, he apparated to Grimmuald.</p><p> </p><p>He landed in the entryway with a crack and the portrait of Walburga started screaming once again. He chose to ignore it and followed his nose to the basement kitchens.</p><p> </p><p>Molly Weasley was making a large breakfast, “Can I help?” Cedric asked, he needed something to do with his hands until he could find someone to tell about the news from Draco.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, Cedric dear, you scared me! Of course you can help, can youchop up some of this fruit? What brings you here this early?”</p><p> </p><p>Cedric grabbed a knife and got to chopping “I got some news last night from,” He chose his next words carefully, “An acquaintance. I think he’s telling the truth, or at least it falls in line with some things Dumbledore’s anticipated. It might be more concrete so we can maybe stop some of these things.”</p><p> </p><p>Molly nodded and moved onto small talk, things like the end of term and the upcoming holiday. Cedric had spent all of Sunday buying presents in Diagon alley and muggle London with Lars, which was good so that all he had to do was spend tonight wrapping so that he would be able to send them out on Christmas Eve the next day. He supposed now that Draco was living with him and Lars for the time being he would have to go and get him something as well, though he had no idea what to get a Slytherin.</p><p> </p><p>People started to come down and eat, a few teachers popped in to say hi and give reports, including Professor Snape. Cedric hadn’t had an excuse to talk to the man since OWLs and didn’t really care, he wasn’t a particularly nice teacher. But, Cedric figured that if any order member would think information from Draco Malfoy valid enough to bring to Dumbledore it was him. He knew from Harry that Snape had a Dark Mark, yet Dumbledore trusted him.</p><p> </p><p>“Professor Snape can I have a word with you?” Asked Cedric.</p><p> </p><p>Snape nodded and led him into the hall. “What is this about Mr. Diggory?”</p><p> </p><p>“Draco Malfoy. He showed up at Lars and I’s apartment last night. He was all bent out of shape because his father was talking about plans for moving Voldemort into Malfoy Manor, among other things.”</p><p> </p><p>“I haven’t heard of these plans.” Snape said coolly, “But I do think it would be wise to speak with Draco myself.”</p><p> </p><p>“I can bring you over, if you have the time.”</p><p> </p><p>“Lead the way.” Snape held out an arm to indicate side along apparaction. Cedric internally cringed, but took it firmly and apparated straight into the apartment.</p><p> </p><p>Draco had found one of Cedric’s books and was laying on the couch in a pair of his school robes. His trunk had arrived by itself somehow late last night packed for school.</p><p> </p><p>“Morning Diggory.” He greeted, somehow not noticing Snape. When he glanced up again he finally realized there was someone else in the room. “Good morning Sev. What’re you doing here.”</p><p> </p><p>“Mr. Diggory told me his version of what happened last night. I need your version to report to Dumbledore.”</p><p> </p><p>Cedric went off to his room to read while Draco talked to Snape. About a half hour later he heard a crack, and Draco came and knocked on the doorframe.</p><p> </p><p>“Sev just left. Thought you should know.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks. I’m heading to Diagon for some last minute Christmas shopping if you feel like coming along.”</p><p> </p><p>“Do I have to stay with you the whole time.”</p><p> </p><p>Cedric sat up assuming a mocking tone, “Why yes, how can I, a responsible adult let a minor go around on his own?”</p><p> </p><p>Draco frowned.</p><p> </p><p>“It was a joke, I honestly don’t care what you do, so long as it isn’t illegal or harmful to you and you meet me in the designated spot on time.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll go get my cloak.”</p><p> </p><p>“Put these on.” Cedric threw some casual robes at Draco, “It’ll help you not look like you came straight from class.”</p><p> </p><p>Draco smiled, and headed to the bathroom to change. Within the next fifteen minutes they were in Diagon Alley and off to buy some presents.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Please remember to leave comments and kudos, I pinky promise to reply!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Christmas</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here’s an angsty Christmas chapter hope you like!</p><p>XOXO<br/>—Appie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1"><span class="s1">On Christmas morning Cedric and the two Malfoys sat together in the living room of the apartment to open pre</span> <span class="s2">s</span> <span class="s1">ents. An owl had dropped by a note early in the morning</span> <span class="s3">,</span> <span class="s1"> from Dumbledore</span> <span class="s3">,</span> <span class="s1"> addressed to the brothers so they opened that first. There was only one line on the sheet of parchment. </span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <em> <span class="s5">The Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix is located at number 12 Grimmuald Place. </span> </em>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric glanced at the paper. “Memorize it, quickly, then grab your stuff. We’ll do presents there.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“That’s the home of the Blacks, I’m supposed to inherit it.” Draco said, almost offended. Cedric quickly incinerated the parchment.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">“The order has a person higher up the family food chain than yo</span><span class="s7">u</span> <span class="s2">,</span> <span class="s1"> Draco. Even if </span> <span class="s2">his</span> <span class="s1"> family booted him out.”</span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Cedric decided to risk a fine from the portkey offic</span><span class="s7">e</span> <span class="s2">,</span> <span class="s1"> and create a portkey to get them there. “Hold on tight.”</span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">The three landed in the foyer of</span> <span class="s1">Grimmuald place, like clockwork Walburga started screaming. </span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Oh shut up will you!” Sirius called. “Oh, Cedric you’re here. We weren’t expecting you until later.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Draco had gone white as a sheet.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">“Relax, I’m not one of the death eaters. I’m not even marked.” Sirius said, seeming</span><span class="s2">ly</span><span class="s1"> very tired of explaining this by now. “The others are up in the teen room. We’ll be </span><span class="s2">having</span> <span class="s1">breakfast in a half hour or so</span><span class="s3">,</span><span class="s1"> when Molly gets home with Arthur, so you better hurry.”</span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">The three went upstairs to where the others were hanging ou</span><span class="s7">t</span> <span class="s2">,</span> <span class="s1"> and opening up presents. “Merry Christmas!” Cedric called. </span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Merry Christmas,” called Cho. “Your presents are in the yellow bag over there. Oh Lars you’re here too, you have the silver bag.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You didn’t tell me this house would be full of Weasleys.” Draco drawled. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Leave the petty grudges for Hogwarts or I will take you back to the apartment and leave you there.” Lars said, glaring at his brother. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">They quickly opened present</span><span class="s7">s</span> <span class="s2">,</span> <span class="s1"> and headed down to breakfast. </span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">The day was filled with people coming and going through the house, Order members stopped by to debrief and give holiday greetings before returning to where</span><span class="s2">ver</span> <span class="s1"> they were needed. Cho went home to spend time with her parents, as did Hermione, both of the elder Weasley brothers stopped by. Bill came with Fleur, Cedric was glad that they seemed to be quite the happy couple. When Charlie stopped </span><span class="s7">by</span><span class="s2">,</span><span class="s1"> he and Mark hit it off and spent most of the time talking. Ron and Draco had decided if they couldn’t actually fight they would spend time seeing who was a better chess player, while Ginny sat to moderate. Sirius and Remus were in the living area snuggled together on a loveseat. Tonks stayed for the day and talked animatedly with Lars. The twins were who </span><span class="s2">knows</span><span class="s1"> where, probably setting up some sort of prank. </span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Cedric headed up to the room that had been dubbed the teen roo</span><span class="s7">m</span><span class="s2">,</span> <span class="s1"> to be alone for a bit. It had been a year since the Yule Ball and his awkward attempt to repay a favor to Harry. Of course that had worked out quite well. He could re</span><span class="s2">call</span> <span class="s1"> days last spring where they would play games with a practice snitch to see who was paying on their next date in Hogsmeade. Or that one time they went out in the rai</span><span class="s7">n</span> <span class="s2">,</span> <span class="s1"> and came in soaking wet. Or Harry’s smile of relief when he finished an essay in time to go sneak food from the kitchens. Or the fact that Harry loved him enough to sacrifice himself. That one hurt. Cedric kne</span><span class="s7">w</span> <span class="s2">,</span> <span class="s1"> if he had just made Harry take the cu</span><span class="s7">p</span> <span class="s2">,</span> <span class="s1"> he would still be alive, he was always able to get out of that kind of thing, especially because Cedric was somehow able to escape relatively unharmed. </span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Seeing Arthur come home that day didn’t help with the guilt. It only reminded him that he was the one attacking in the first place, or at least it had felt like that. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">He glanced down at his hand, seeing the marks left over from Umbitch’s detentions of doom. </span> <span class="s5">It is my fault.</span> <span class="s1"> It was his fault that Harry died, that Arthur got hurt, that Voldemort was back and Draco was afraid to go home. It just felt like too much rested on his shoulders and his alone. </span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Hey, I was sent to check on you.” Sirius was at the door. “What’s going on?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“It was all my fault. Everything.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">“No, it wasn’t, I can </span><span class="s2">assure</span><span class="s7"> you </span><span class="s2">of</span> <span class="s1">that.”</span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“If I hadn’t agreed to share the win with him he’d still be here.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">“If I hadn’t decided I would make a horrid secret keeper, Lily and James would still be here. That’s why I didn’t put up a fight when they dragged me off to Azkaban. I was in the same well of guilt and grief you are now. It wasn’t your fault that old Voldy</span> <span class="s1">wanted to kill Harry. You couldn’t have known about that plan. You also couldn’t have prevented Harry from choosing to jump in front of that curse. Just like there was nothing that could have stopped James or Lily from protecting him. He loved you, protecting those he loved ran deep in his blood.”</span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“But-”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“No, the guilt game is dangerous and can send you down a rabbit hole of self destruction. Take it from someone who knew Harry almost as well as you did and cared for him like a son, It. Is. Not. Your. Fault. If you have to blame someone, blame Voldemort or Pettigrew, at least they deserve it. You wanna know why?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Why?” Cedric sniffed. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“They will never actually feel guilty about what they have done. They believe that what they did was perfectly fine, unlike you who knows that killing someone is wrong and horrible.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The two sat in silence for a while.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Thanks. Today is just hard.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Holidays always are when you’re not with those you love.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Not just that. I asked him out, if you could call it that, a year ago today. I asked him if we could work on the egg clue together. It took basically all the courage I could muster. I only had the guts cause Cho was teasing me for staring at him all night.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“He liked to write a lot of letters to me about his day and what Ron and Hermione were arguing about that week. He didn’t expect a response, he knew that I wasn’t always able to write back, he even used different owls. When the tournament was first announced he wrote about how excited he was to watch. I got a long letter of freak out when his name came out of the goblet. Then as you guys started to do things for the tournament I would get stray comments about being nervous around you whether he thought you were angry with him or maybe a comment on how nice you looked that day. It wasn’t enough for him to actually realize he liked you, but I could tell it was there.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“He really could be oblivious sometimes.” Cedric gave a small smile. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I think I smell some dinner, you feel up to face the crowds downstairs?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Why not.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">It turned out Tonks had taken Lars to surprise his mother and grandmother, so Cedric and Draco returned to the apartment </span> <span class="s2">without him</span> <span class="s1"> that night. When he entered his room he found a painting. A note laid beside it.</span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <em> <span class="s5">The inspiration for this came to me the other night</span> </em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <em> <span class="s5">Hope you like it.</span> </em>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <em> <span class="s5">—Lars</span> </em>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric stared at the painting. It was a muggle painting so it didn’t move, but he knew exactly what it was. Lars had painted a less wet from swimming in the lake version of the picture that had been printed in the Daily Prophet last year. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s4">Cedric waved his wand and hung it next to his beginner level owls that he had done over the summer and smiled. “Merry Christmas Harry.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Please leave comments and kudos to feed my soul!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Many Many Memories</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So sorry for the radio silence this past week! I spent most of it redoing and deep cleaning my bedroom and didn’t have the energy to write. Then I had to work on a chapter for A Starry Eighth Year because my co-creator and I have a set schedule for things. I really didn’t mean to leave you guys on such a depressing chapter for so long!!</p><p>The chapter count has changed closer to the original and is likely to get smaller since I have started to tend towards longer chapters.</p><p>Also, though I don’t condone JKR’s actions as of late, (please stop reading my work if you do), I almost exactly quoted the prophecy from Ootp. </p><p>I hope you like this long chapter!</p><p>XOXO<br/>—Appie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric spent the next few weeks in a depressed state. Between term starting up again</span>
  <span class="s2">, </span>
  <span class="s1">NEWTs very close on the horizon and feeling reminded of Harry at every turn, not to mention the breakout of Azkaban that did not end up being prevented, it took his teachers, friends and the entire H.A. to get him out of his mood by the beginning of February. He also earned a new round of detentions from Umbitch for not paying attention in class, though how was she supposed to know that he had finished the reading and the homework before the end of class if she didn’t bother to listen? Those had finished after six weeks in time for the re-start of Quidditch at the beginning of March. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The first match of the spring season was Hufflepuff vs. Gryffindor. It was the last match for Gryffindor, but Hufflepuff still had to face the Slytherins before the end of term, as did the Ravenclaws. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric put whatever energy he could into quidditch. He trained hard with his team and felt ready for the match when the week of rolled around. In some sort of competitive prank</span>
  <span class="s2">,</span>
  <span class="s1"> Angelina had come in and decorated his room in Gryffindor colors, he retaliated the next day by turning he room more yellow than the Hufflepuff common room and leaving every pillow in her room badger shaped. He was glad to channel some of his emotions into something as frivolous as a prank war. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The night before the match his keeper got sick and he had to put in their alternate who hadn’t been to nearly enough practices for them to be able to have a shot at getting far ahead. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">On the day of the match the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor teams went out onto the pitch and let Madam Hooch go through her usual spiel about sportsmanship. Mark went up to shake Angelina’s hand, since he was technically the captain according to the school records. Angelina looked a bit confused, but took the hand anyway. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric kept his eye Ginny for the first ten minutes of the match, to try to figure out her strategy. He had attended Gryffindor’s second match in the fall just to see what he was up against, but sometimes strategies varied game to game. The game ended with Cedric catching the snitch, but the Gryffindor chasers had racked up one to many goals for them to win, the final one made just after he had gone into a dive for the snitch.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric didn’t give much thought to losing the game. He knew they could wipe the floor with Slytherin in a few weeks, they were much less together than the Hufflepuffs and soon the normal keeper would be back on her feet again. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Mid March came another note from Dumbledore, this time for a Friday night meeting. Cedric cancelled the quidditch practice he had that night and went down to see Dumbledore. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Good evening Professor.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Hello Mr. Diggory.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What have you got in store for us tonight?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Tonight we have a handful of short memories to view. I believe that this will be our last lesson for the year as it will explain the best and most complete way to end Lord Voldemort for good. We shall start with a few memories of Voldemort during and after Hogwarts the first of which supplied by his Uncle, Morfin.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The two once again dove into the Pensieve. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Once they surfaced Dumbledore explained that Voldemort had made it look like Morfin killed the Riddle family and took one of the family’s heirlooms, a ring. The next memory supplied by the house elf of Hepzibah Smith showed Voldemort viewing the locket that Merope had sold along with a cup that had belonged to Helga Hufflepuff, Cedric remembered seeing it in a painting in the common room and was able to instantly identify it. Voldemort framed the house elf for the murder of Hepzibah in a very similar manner to what he had done with Morfin. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Dumbledore showed him a memory of Tom Riddle coming in to interview for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post, but failing, twice. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I’m sure you’ll remember when we retrieved this next one. This is a memory of Tom Riddle in his fifth year, soon before he opened the Chamber of Secrets.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“This is the one we got from, Mr. Slughorn was his name?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yes, you have quite the memory.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Thank you, shall we?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The two dove in once more and resurfaced. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“So those objects, Voldemort made them into horcruxes didn’t he? The cup, the locket, and the ring.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yes, he also made more, his goal was to make six, have his soul split into seven parts. It is now our job to destroy the remaining four.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Four?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Harry destroyed a diary in the Chamber of Secrets back when it was opened last. That was Voldemort’s first horcrux.” Dumbledore held up his mangled hand, “This is the result of a curse on the ring, which I have now destroyed.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric nodded. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What do you think the others might be Mr. Diggory?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Voldemort thought of Hogwarts as his home, so far the horcruxes have been founders based. Two from Slytherin, and one from Hufflepuff. The diary was based of someone he killed with the basilisk Slytherin left behind. I would think it would be something of Ravenclaw’s or Gryffindor’s. The only known Gryffindor artifact is the sword, which you would have figured out since it’s right over there.” Cedric motioned to the display case with the object off to the side. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Indeed.” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“So it would have to be Ravenclaw’s diadem. Her only known artifact, and it seems to have been lost to the ages so it would work well if Voldemort had found it. Can a horcrux be a living thing?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Dumbledore looked worried for a second, “Why do you ask?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“He has a snake. I’ve seen it in my dreams. That snake, Nagini I think, has a strange relationship with him, more so than just a familiar he is able to speak with.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I agree with you that Nagini being a horcrux is more than a possibility.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A knock came from the door.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I invited Mr. Longbottom to view the next memory, do not say a word of this until after he leaves.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric nodded.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Come in.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You wanted to see me Professor?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yes. I have a memory that I would like both you and Mr. Diggory to view. It is a prophecy I happened to witness, given by Professor Trelawney when I interviewed her for her position. You are not to share the contents with anyone you have the slightest doubt in. As this could change the course of the war against Voldemort.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Neville flinched at the name, but nodded along. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Let’s dive in.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The three defended into the Pensieve and landed in the Hog’s Head Tavern some years earlier. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">They were in the same private room Cedric had used to found the H.A, but neither he nor Neville said anything. The H.A. had lasted as a secret this long, and they were determined to keep it that way.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">On the other side of the room Dumbledore was interviewing Trelawney. The three headed over to listen. It seemed as if a normal interview was being conducted until Trelawney went into a sort of trance. Her eyes unfocused and her voice deepened. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <em>
    <span class="s1">“</span>
    <span class="s4">The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <em>
    <span class="s4">Born to those who have thrice defied him as the seventh month dies</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <em>
    <span class="s4">The Dark Lord will mark him as his equal</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <em>
    <span class="s4">But he will have power the Dark Lord knows not</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <em>
    <span class="s4">Either must die at the hand of the other</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <em>
    <span class="s4">For neither can live while the other survives”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">They turned once they heard a noise at the door. And then the memory ended.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“This prophecy was recorded the week before you and Harry were born, Mr. Longbottom. At the time, the two of you were the only children this prophecy could have applied to, we assumed after Voldemort went after Harry in 1981 that he was the. One that was prophesied. Yet, from what I could tell, correct me if I am wrong Mr. Diggory, he died at Voldemort’s orders, not by his hand.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“So it’s about me then?” Neville said, going pale as a ghost.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Not necessarily. Which month were you born at the end of Mr. Diggory?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“September.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Which is named that because before Ceasar added months for him and his heir, July for Julius, August for Augustus, it was the seventh month in the year.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Born as the seventh month dies, the end of September, the month named for seven.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Right, and I recall you father voting against at least three bills that were created by Death Eate</span>
  <span class="s6">rs</span>
  <span class="s7">,</span>
  <span class="s1"> to help Voldemort’s rise.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“So he thinks it could be me, because I survived that curse.” Cedric finished. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“So it could be me or him, more likely me, but he’s going after Cedric?” Neville asked, a bit overwhelmed. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yes. Keep in mind that if this was indeed about you, Mr. Longbottom, that you might end up being an integr</span>
  <span class="s7">a</span>
  <span class="s1">l part in this war. Once you have had a moment to process, you may leave, I still have something to discuss with Mr. Diggory.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">After a few minutes Neville stood up and said goodnight, Dumbledore gave him a hall pass so as not to get into any trouble with Umbitch who had posed a new ordinance regarding curfew punishments. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Once Neville was gone Dumbledore spoke first “Now where were we? Oh yes, we agreed that the two unknown horcruxes could be Rowena Ravenclaw’s diadem and Voldemort’s snake, Nagini.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Right. Do you have any idea where any of these could be?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“The snake is easily by his side, though you probably knew that. I may have an idea of where the locket may be, though I have to confer with some others. Would you be interested in coming along when I go to retrieve it?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yes, I’m still not quite sure how to destroy one though.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“If it’s a living thing, such as the snake it would be simple enough to kill it, morbid as that may be. The others can be done with basilisk venom, the sword of Gryffindor, or some other extremely destructive force.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric nodded. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You may tell your close friends, about the horcruxes as they will be able to help you with this task, but keep the prophecy to yourself until the right moment, you’ll know when.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You mean the ones that stayed at Order Headquarters right?” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Dumbledore simply nodded and started scribbling out a hall pass.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Okay, thank you Professor, you’ve given me a lot to think about. Goodnight.” Cedric took the pass and headed for the door.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s3">“Goodnight Mr. Diggory.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The Ceasar fact is real, look it up. </p><p>Thanks for reading!! It would be extremely helpful if you left comments (kudos are appreciated too!) I will do my best to reply to everyone.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. A Revelation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A very short Harry chapter for y’all.</p><p>EDIT:<br/>Though I wrote it in the note for the next chapter, since I was going back and applying some grammar edits Tay made I thought I would mention that<br/>1. This is sometime after Harry’s 17th birthday but before his third death day (which will coincide with his death day in the living world)<br/>2. This takes place during the events of the next  chapter</p><p>Thanks for reading</p><p>XOXO<br/>—Appie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Once again Harry had found himself in Cedric’s mind while his love was dreaming. It was one of the same dreams as before, the one of the night he had died, except Cedric didn’t wake up when Harry died this time. The dream kept going. Wormtail took Cedric’s blood and used it to revive Voldemort, as soon as Death Eaters started to apparate in, the dream morphed into one about horcruxes featuring young Tom Riddle and an older man Harry didn’t know. Then it changed to Trelawney doing a prophecy much like how she had during his divination exam. This one predicted him being the one to kill Voldemort. She was wrong on that front, Wormtail had killed him, and there was nothing he could do to stop Voldemort now. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Harry woke up with an alarm from the house. He had set it for his first day of teaching Defense at Hades. He got dresse</span>
  <span class="s3">d</span>
  <span class="s4">,</span>
  <span class="s1"> and went downstairs to have breakfast with his parents. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">About halfway through his waffl</span>
  <span class="s3">e</span>
  <span class="s4">,</span>
  <span class="s1"> he remembered something from Cedric’s dream, Voldemort had been revived with Cedric’s blood. Meaning that if Cedric died, he had a tether, a way to come back. Harry just had to make sure. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He stood u</span>
  <span class="s3">p</span>
  <span class="s4">,</span>
  <span class="s1"> and made his way to the door in a rush.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Where do you think you’re going young man?” Asked his Mother.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I’ve gotta see Inquiry about something Mum, if I’m right I’ll tell you when I get back from Hades tonight.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He rushed out the doo</span>
  <span class="s3">r</span>
  <span class="s4">,</span>
  <span class="s1"> before either of his parents were able to get in another word. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He burst into the building that housed Inquiry’s database and nearly crashed into their desk. “Inquiry! If Voldemort used Cedric’s blood to revive himself doesn’t that mean Cedric can survive?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">They looked up from the piece of hair they were toying with and went to search in the database, “I think so, let me double check, also see if your info is correct.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Thanks.” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Harry took note of the Muggle Athletic wear that Inquiry was wearing. Harry had once asked them why they wore a different yet distinct style every day. They had simply responded that they had eternity to try on all types and styles of human clothing they wanted, so why not wear something fun every day. Harry understood that to a point, but he decided that he wouldn’t trade his jeans and t-shirt for almost anything else. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Well it looks like you are right, if Cedric is killed he will go into limbo until he makes a choice as whether or not to die, so long as Tom’s alive. Since he has part of your soul you can meet him there and join with it then.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Wait, meet him in Limbo, does that mean I can talk to him?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yup, and you’ll barely be gone. Time in limbo is three times the speed than here, nine times living realm. That’s mostly so those who choose to leave limbo and return quickly don’t actually lose much time. It’s limbo so there really is no aging or anything happening.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Thanks Inquiry, you are such a help.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“That’s what I exist for. Now get your butt over to Hades, it wouldn’t do to be late your first day teaching.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Harry smiled and bolted from the station. He wasn’t sure if he was happy or sad that Cedric would survive, but that was not a pressing issue right now, right now the seventeen-year-old had students to teach.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Holy crap I just realized I didn’t say anything about being at twenty chapters!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Getting the Locket</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here’s another chapter!!</p><p>I forgot to time stamp the Harry chapter so here it is:</p><p>It takes place about nine months after Harry turns 17, close to his third death day (Dead time) which will line up with him being dead for a year living time. It takes place during this chapter, I’m sure you’ll be able to figure out when in the chapter. </p><p>Also there is a reason I kinda condensed the retrieving the locket sequence; it is because I also have to write the complicated mess that is the battle of Mysteries next. Please comment if you get confused, I will be happy to explain my thinking!!!</p><p>XOXO<br/>—Appie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1"><span class="s1">The day after Cedric had learned about horcruxes Hermione dragged him to Hogsmead</span><span class="s2">e</span><span class="s3">,</span> <span class="s1"> and sat him down for an interview about what happened in the graveyar</span><span class="s2">d</span><span class="s3">,</span> <span class="s1"> with Rita Skeeter of all people. </span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">The article was going to be published in the </span> <span class="s5">Quibbl</span><span class="s6">er</span><span class="s7">,</span> <span class="s1"> thanks to Luna Lovegood. Cedric was glad that at least one news outlet was willing to publish a true story, even though it was that was famed for its outlandish tales. </span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Cedric sat across from Rita who took notes by hand, while Hermione breathed down her neck. Apparently he had missed something last spring because it seemed that the Gryffindor was blackmailing the reporter. Cedric sipped his butterbeer and told her all he could remember from after the third task. He also went on to discredit the Ministry, by telling </span> <span class="s2">f</span> <span class="s3">rom</span> <span class="s1"> how they handled his trial and Umbridge’s torture detentions. He made it clear that Peter Pettigrew was alive and helping Voldemort and that Sirius Black was innocent. He also made sure to include that Harry had not wanted to be in the tournament in the first place, a fact Rita had gotten wrong so many times the previos year.</span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Luna smiled and sat there all her attention on Cedric’s story while she</span> <span class="s1">sipped some purple drink he had never heard of. Cho listened, but looked a bit bored, Cedric didn’t blame her, she had heard this story a few times now and seemed eager to get Hermione out on their afternoon date. </span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Once the interview was finished Luna stayed to look over Rita’s notes while Cho whisked Hermione away for a date. Cedric stood up and left taking his time to head back to the castle. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Hogwarts, it seemed, had descended into its annual pre exam haze of nervous breakdowns, all nighters, and heavy review workloads. The last thing that the H.A. had learned was patronuses before the insanity started, an end of seventh year topic, so Cedric decided to devote time to letting the members pick what they studied each meeting. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric was still shocked that none of the teachers nor unwanted students had found out. Though he had Malfoy to thank for getting Umbitch off their backs. He had joined the H.A. some time during Cedric’s post holiday depression. Malfoy was also a member of Umbitch’s new Inquisitorial Squad and had been tasked with finding ‘unlawful groups,’ though he was a part of the largest one. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Once his interview came out in the papers Umbitch banned the Quibbler from the school, but seeing as they went to a school for magic, it was found that McGonagall was reviewing how to transfigure a small book or magazine into a simple piece of parchment with a spell that could only be undone by the caster with almost every class that week. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">At last most of the school seemed to be on his side. Instead of side glances and suspicious looks he got some hopeful smiles and apologies from people he didn’t even know. Umbitch was furious. It made the pre-exam insanity that much more bearable. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Around late May Cedric got a note from Dumbledore, it had four words and a time on it. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <em> <span class="s5">I found one. Tonight, 7:00.</span> </em>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric smiled at the familiar loopy writing. That night he headed for Dumbledore’s office eager to find a horcrux. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Good evening, Mr.Diggory, we will need to apparate to reach our destination tonight, so I suggest we head to Hogsmeade before it gets dark.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Cedric nodde</span> <span class="s2">d</span> <span class="s3">,</span> <span class="s1"> and headed for the door. </span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">As they walked to Hogsmeade Dumbledore attempted a conversation with Cedric, “I assume this time of the year has you missing Harry?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yes.” Cedric said, trying not to show it, he was going to kill a horcrux dammit, he didn’t need to cry right now.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“This time of year is hard on me as well. I was your age when I met my first love. The summer after I graduated Gellert was staying with his Aunt next door.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Gellert? Like Gridlewald?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“The very same. Both he and I had big visions for the world that at the time happened to coincide.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What happened?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“He got more and more into the power of it all, and I got less and less into it. To this day I don’t know if he ever truly cared for me back then, or if he did it because he saw me on his path to success.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“That’s awful.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yes well, sometimes being in love can be that way. We’re here. I’ll side along you to where we are going.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric grabbed the Headmaster’s arm and away they went.’’</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">They landed on a rocky outcropping outside of a cave overlooking rough seas. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“This is the rocky cave where Tom harmed the other children in the orphanage. They would stay in the village nearby during the summers. Only someone with magic or rock climbing gear could reach this cave. Step behind me carefully. We do not want to set off any traps.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The two walked into the cave. About twenty or so steps in Dumbledore stopped at a wall. He cast a few silent charms on it and soon an outline of a door appeared on the wall. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I see... Of course he would do something like that.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric did his best to try to see some of the charm results that Dumbledore was viewing, but they were too complex for him to understand. “What is it Professor?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Since Tom believes that mortal injury is the worst thing that can happen to a person, he has set a blood payment on the door. He can’t understand that destroying one’s soul is the worst thing possible.” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Dumbledore quickly used a cutting hex to split open his palm and open the door. The two went through and then Dumbledore cast an easy healing spell on the cut. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What do you think would be the best way to retrieve the horcrux, Mr.Diggory?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">“Well, Voldemort would be too smart not to put a ward against summoning it. That green light in the lake appears to be the right place though. Over here there’s something hidden.” Cedric walked to a small stretch of the bank. “</span> <span class="s5"><em>Revelio</em>.” </span> <span class="s1">Cedric cast a spell and a chain appeared.</span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Good going Mr. Diggory.” Dumbledore cast a spell that pulled along the chain. “How did you notice that?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I have been working towards going into wards and charms for the Ministry for a few years now. I picked up some things.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Impressive.” By now the chain had pulled a small boat to the shore. “Shall we?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Are you sure it can hold two people?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I am quite sure. Tom would not have put a blood price on the door if he was going to be alone. He also would need a further purpose to bring someone to a place where he would hide such an important possession, and he would want to keep that person close.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Okay.” The two climbed onto the boat, careful not to touch the eerily still water. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The boat floated towards a small stone island at the center of the lake. Cedric had noticed inferi in the water, and was mentally going through his list of spells to use against them. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">They exited the boat. There was a basin on a pedestal on the center of the island. Dumbledore poked and prodded at the liquid inside and then spoke, “One of us will have to drink the potion, that is why Tom Riddle would need someone else. It is likely vile and torturous. Before you say anything to try to drink the potion yourself, I will be the one drinking it. You are much too valuable to risk, I a merely an old man. No matter what you must make sure I keep drinking the potion, understood?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yes Professor.” Cedric was at a loss, how could he just let Dumbledore do this?</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Dumbledore conjured a goblet and scooped up most of the potion within it. The professor drank as much of the goblet as he could in on breath. He drained it with another swallow and the something changed in his eyes “N-n-no! Not her!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric steeled his helping instinct and refilled the goblet, it was only half full this time and the basin was empty. Cedric couldn’t touch the locket at the bottom though. The basin somehow knew that the last of the potion had not been consumed. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Dumbledore was crying and it almost sounded like he was saying “It’s my fault.” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric knew that rabbit hole too well to let the Professor drink anymore. It wasn’t that much, and it didn’t seem lethal, so Cedric downed the potion and grabbed the locket before it could kick in. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The potion had already started to wear off on Dumbledore and he wanted water. Cedric put up a fire ward and a keep in barrier to protect Dumbledore before the world changed. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <em>
    <span class="s1">He was in the maze and Harry was in front of him, both of them had their hands on the cup and it whisked them away. Then there was the familiar scene that had plagued his nightmares for a year now, Harry whipping around in front of him and taking the killing curse while Cedric watched the light drain from his eyes. The scene continued after Harry’s body hit the floor, though. He had to go through the ritual and the death eaters and the duel again. He did notice that after Harry’s death he still felt the presence of Harry somewhere in the midst of everything. </span>
  </em>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Cedric! Are you okay?” Asked a voice. Dumbledore. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric slowly came back to the present, he was parched, but put that aside. He could summon water once they left the cave. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I’m fine.” Cedric stood up weakly, he had apparently fallen into a sitting position.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You shouldn’t have done that Mr. Diggory.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I had to. Besides, that was something I’ve had in my dreams at least once a week for nearly the past year. I’ll survive. Let’s go, we can get water once we leave this chamber.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric made for the boat and changed the fire ward to travel with them. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">They reached shore and Cedric payed the blood payment from the bleeding from where he had hit his head when he fell. He hadn’t noticed until then. Once they were trough Dumbledore healed Cedric and summoned water for them both. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Here it is.” Cedric said, showing Dumbledore the locket.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“We shall look at it once we return to Hogwarts.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The two apparated into Hogsmeade. Once they were there a lion patronus bounded toward them. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s4">Mad-eye Moody’s voice came out of the mouth when it spoke, “They’re at the Ministry! He’s making his move on the prophecy! Come quick!”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I appreciate comments and kudos!</p><p>Please remember that if you were confused by this chapter you can comment and I can explain what I was trying to do.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Thestrals</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry for the wait!! I actually had most of this done days ago, but I have been having some trouble with my wrist so that pushed me back a bit.</p><p>Funny story time!<br/>So I had Moody’s Patronus in the last chapter as a lion, but then Tay (my lovely beta) and I were talking about what his patronus was in canon and we couldn’t find anything useful on a surface internet search. We also were curious about his house because we didn’t know (though we figured Gryffindor), and low and behold one of the first results was a fan website insisting that he is a Hufflepuff. This was really the only purpose of this website. We got a kick out of reading it, though the person who created it did have some decent points. Just thought I should share.</p><p>That’s enough rambling for now, onto the show— er chapter.</p><p>XOXO<br/>—Appie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The patronus dissolved. Dumbledore stood there for a second, plotting.</p><p> </p><p>“Head back up to the school Cedric. I am needed at the Minisrty.” Before Cedric could say anything Dumbledore apparated away with a crack.</p><p> </p><p>Cedric trudged the rest of the way to the school, still worn out from the potion. He headed to the library because that’s where he and his friends spent most of their time these days.</p><p> </p><p>He found them in one of the study rooms working on essays.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey Ced.” Hermione greeted cheerily, looking up from Ron’s essay, which she was reading over. “How was your adventure with Dumbledore?”</p><p> </p><p>“Intense, to say the least.”</p><p> </p><p>“I bet. You look worse than you did after you fought that dragon last year.” Mark commented.</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks.” Cedric gave a fake smile, he then realized he still had the locket in his hand, he set it on the table not wanting to hold it any longer than necessary.</p><p> </p><p>“What’s that?” Hermione asked.</p><p> </p><p>Cedric blinked. He still hadn’t told his friends about the horcruxes. “It’s supposedly Slytherin’s locket, but it doesn’t look right now that I’m seeing it. If it is, then it holds a bit of Voldemort’s soul.”</p><p> </p><p>“His soul? But how could his soul not be in his body?” Ron asked.</p><p> </p><p>Cedric nodded, “He separated it, the pieces are called horcruxes. In order to kill him we need to kill all the pieces of his soul. Dumbledore and Harry each already did one in.”</p><p> </p><p>“Harry did one, but he never mentioned anything about Voldemort’s soul— Wait. Do you mean the diary he destroyed back in second year?”</p><p> </p><p>Cedric nodded. “Dumbledore destroyed some ring that belonged to Slytherin, but it cursed his hand.” He delicately picked up the locket again. “This isn’t a horcrux though. It should feel like dark magic, but it doesn’t. It also doesn’t look like the right locket.”</p><p> </p><p>Cedric worked his nails into the locket and popped it open. “There’s a note.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well go on, read it now you’ve got my attention.” Mark said.</p><p> </p><p>“‘To the Dark Lord, I know I—‘ Ahh!” White hot pain shot through the scar on Cedric’s shoulder and he backed into the wall. It had been hurting on and off since Christmas, though his occlumency had kept most of the visions away. Now that he was tired and distracted, the visions came alive.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>He was staring down at someone who had bowed before him. The figure stood up. It was Severus Snape.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Tonight Severus you shall carry out my orders. Said the high pitched voice.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Yes, my Lord.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“If you should fail to kill Dumbledore, there will be dire consequences.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Yes, my Lord.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Make sure it is done before I have the prophecy. The ministry will likely go into high alert once it is gone.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Yes, my Lord.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Cedric scrambled for his occlumency shields and was returned to reality.</p><p> </p><p>“Ced, what’s wrong?” Cho asked after seeing the look on his face.</p><p> </p><p>“When Dumbledore and I got back he was called to the Ministry because the Order needed help fighting off a Death Eater attack. I just had a vision, or rather saw into Voldemort’s mind, or something. In it Voldemort ordered Snape to kill Dumbledore. He’s walking into a trap!” Cedric chose not to mention the Prophecy.</p><p> </p><p>“Well we have to go help don’t we?” Asked Ron, an excited fire in his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“But how will we get there, Mark and Cedric can’t side along us both and Umbridge only opens the broom shed for quidditch things.” Hermione said.</p><p> </p><p>The only other thing that came to mind for Cedric was “The thestrals.”</p><p> </p><p>“Those invisible things Hagrid taught us about?” Ron asked incredulously.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes.”</p><p> </p><p>“But Umbridge has closed the grounds, how can we get out to the thestrals?” Cho said.</p><p> </p><p>“Fred and George have been dying for an excuse to piss off Umbridge for months. I’ll have them create a distraction.” Ron said and then ran off to find his brothers.</p><p> </p><p>Now Cedric needed to find Neville. The prophecy could only be removed by someone who’s name was on it. That’s why Voldemort himself was going after it. It could only be about him or Nev now, but he didn’t know who. Bringing Neville wasn’t only a safeguard, he could also see the thestrals.</p><p> </p><p>He told his friends to meet him by the castle doors and went to find the Gryffindor.</p><p> </p><p>It turned out to not be very difficult. Neville ended up being in a far corner of the library, studying alongside Luna Lovegood.</p><p> </p><p>“Neville.” Cedric whispered, Neville looked up, confused. “You know that thing that Dumbledore told us about?”</p><p> </p><p>He nodded.</p><p> </p><p>“Voldemort’s after it. Only you or I can retrieve it and smash it before he gets his hands on it.”</p><p> </p><p>Neville’s eyes went wide. “Are we going now?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, we’re gonna take thestrals.”</p><p> </p><p>“May I come?” Asked Luna in a hushed voice.</p><p> </p><p>“So long as you know we’re walking into a fight with Death Eaters, I don’t see why not.” Cedric said, “But we really have to get going, now.”</p><p> </p><p>“Let’s go.” Neville said, determined, though he looked like he was about to throw up.</p><p> </p><p>The three raced from the library and through the corridors.</p><p> </p><p>Fred and George worked quick. They had set up all sorts of fireworks and things that seemed to amuse and not harm the students, but harassed some of the teachers. Mostly Umbridge.</p><p> </p><p>They met up with the others by the door.</p><p> </p><p>“I went and snagged the invisibility cloak, just in case.” Cho said.</p><p> </p><p>“Let’s cover a few of us now, small groups are noticed less. Nev, Luna and Ron should share it.” Cedric said.</p><p> </p><p>Cho draped the cloak over the three of them and the group waited for an opportunity.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It came when the twins had been caught, they summoned their brooms and made to fly out the doors. With everyone’s eyes in the air Cedric and his friends had the opportunity to escape to the forest.</p><p> </p><p>No one noticed the group as they made their way to the forest. By the time they got there Cedric realized that he didn’t have any way to attract the Thestrals. They came anyway though.</p><p> </p><p>“How did they know to find us?” Neville asked, Cedric turned and realized a thestral was approaching from behind him.</p><p> </p><p>“Wait, they’re here?” Ron asked looking around frantically.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s obvious isn’t it?” Luna said, “Cedric has blood on the back of his robes.” She reached down to pet a thestral nearby, apparently she could see them.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re bleeding?!” Cho asked running around behind Cedric to check for injuries. “How could you not tell us?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m not bleeding. I was, but I healed the wound before I came back. I just forgot to clean up the blood.” Cedric said twisting away from Cho’s mother hen like inspection. “Anyway, we should be able to fit two to a thestral. The pairs should each have one person that can see the thestral, the loner just has to have guts.”</p><p> </p><p>“Unless one of you brave Gryffindors wants to ride alone, I’ll fly by myself.” Mark volunteered.</p><p> </p><p>No one spoke up.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright, Hermione and Luna can ride together, Ron and Neville, and Cho will ride with me if that’s ok?”</p><p> </p><p>Everyone agreed and started mounting their thestrals. Cedric and Cho were already on theirs once he realized he needed to help Mark find one. After that ordeal Cedric climbed back on with Cho and told the thestrals where they wanted to go. The winged creatures seemed to understand and took off into the night.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Please remember to leave comments and kudos!!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. The Battle for the Prophecy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Okay so I changed the chapter count (again) because I realized that this damn battle is so complicated and long, even when I cut out half of the stuff that happened in canon!</p><p>Timetravel2hogwarts,<br/>I know I sound irritated by your comments, but they honestly make me eager to write more. I really wanna reach the end to see your reaction to what I have planned. Which is good cause I honestly hate Deathly Hallows and don’t wanna write most of it. I honestly find your comments so amusing, thanks for taking the time to write them!😄</p><p>Thanks to my amazing beta Tay, who can always provide me with some info from the books within a few moments notice (I loaned my copies of Ootp and HBP to a friend, even though I am writing something based off of both, yes I’m that stupid.)</p><p>The end is in sight!</p><p>XOXO<br/>—Appie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1"><span class="s1">The thestrals sense of direction lived up to</span> <span class="s1">expectation and they arrived </span><span class="s2">at</span><span class="s1"> London in record time. They landed in an alley not far from the telephone booth that made up the visitors entrance. Cedric had used it a handful of times to visit his father at work. </span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s4">The</span> <span class="s1"> large group crowded into the phone booth, which had to have had an extension charm to fit all seven of them. Cedric punched in the code, 62442, which translated to magic with the Muggle letter code. The booth took their names and lowered them down into the ground. </span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">As they rushed through the atrium, there was no sign of anyone, so once they entered the lift, Cedric stated the game plan, “Our first priority is making sure that Dumbledore knows that Snape is not to be trusted, the second priority is to find the thing that Voldemort’s after and destroy it.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The others nodded and exited the lift. They hurried down the hall on the lowest level. Cedric felt a certain sense of deja vu heading towards the door that lead to the Department of Mysteries. The door was unlocked and they entered a room that had at least a dozen unmarked doors. Or at least they seemed unmarked, Cedric noticed that the handles had slightly different locks on them and took note of the lock on the door they had come from. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He turned around and one of the doors opened, out came two masked death eaters. The doors began to spin. Once they stopped Cedric raced through one with the rest of his group, the Death Eaters gave chase. Cedric heard a male voice say, “After them cousin!” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">They ended up in a room with a large tank full of creatures that looked like human brains, but with tentacles. One of the Death Eaters cast an orange jinx at Cedric. He used a mirror spell to send it back at her, or at least he t</span> <span class="s4">hough</span> <span class="s2">t</span> <span class="s1"> it was a her from her voice, it was hard to tell with the mask and shapeless robes. The </span> <span class="s4">rebound</span> <span class="s2">ing</span> <span class="s1"> spell caught the other Death Eater’s arm and tore through the fabric exposing his black dark mark. </span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">The other Death Eater cast a spell that narrowly missed Cho and she </span> <span class="s2">shot</span> <span class="s1"> back with a spell of her own. The first death eater cast a spe</span> <span class="s4">ll</span> <span class="s2">,</span> <span class="s1"> which Ron deflected into the tank. It shattered and one of the brain creatures immidiately attached itself onto Ron’s arms. Mark put up a shield and went to yank the brain thing away. </span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The brain things were now loose in the room and everyone was trying to dodge them. The Death Eaters made their exit, followed by Cho and Hermione who belatedly yelled something about catching them. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“We’ve gotta go.” Cedric motioned to the others. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The went back through the door, Cedric noted the lock before everything started spinning again. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He reached for a new door when Ron started speaking, “Has the purple kitten escaped from the zoo yet?” Mark had still not succeeded in getting the brain off his arms.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“We can’t take him.” Cedric said.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Don’t worry I got him. We’ll find you once he’s not drunk on brain parasite anymore.” Mark said.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric nodded and proceeded into the new door he had chosen. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">This one was the right one apparently, it led to a room with shelves upon shelves of prophecies held in glowing glass orbs. A number appeared in Cedric’s head, 97, he decided to trust his gut and quickly made his way along the shelves. Neville and Luna quickly followed. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">“Here.” Cedric sai</span> <span class="s4">d</span> <span class="s2">,</span> <span class="s1"> pointing to one of the orbs. It was the only one on the row that looked to be recently re-labeled. The date was the same as was the delivery code, S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D. The newly replaced part read, Dark Lord (You Know Who) and N.K.L. or H.J.P or C.W.D. (?). </span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">“I don’t think I wanna know who it’s about. Or at least not </span> <span class="s2">at</span> <span class="s1"> first. Can we take it together?”</span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">That offer felt too familiar. “No, I’ll try.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric reached over and took hold of the prophecy. He pulled and after a few second it lifted off into his hand. He stared at Neville, who looked surprised and relieved.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Don’t we have to smash it?” Luna asked.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yes.” Cedric slammed the prophecy into the floor and it shattered into tiny bits of broken glass. Ignoring what his ability to lift it meant.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Let’s go find the others.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">They ran out of the room to find that Mark had just successfully de-brained Ron’s arms. </span>Ron was knocked out though, and he had scars all over his arms leftover from the tentacles.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Did the others come through here?” Cedric asked, Luna went to look at Ron’s injuries with more curiosity on her face than concern.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yeah, we hid behind one of the doors, a pack of order members and Death Eaters came through about five minutes ago. Cho and Hermione were with them. I think they got the door to the atrium.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ok, we’re gonna go. Can you get him somewhere safe?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Like where? I can’t get him back to Hogwarts and St. Mungos would call too much attention.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“My apartment. It’s not far and you know where it is.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Mark nodded. “Send a message my way if you need help.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric smiled at his friend and found the door with the right lock and headed through it. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">There was most certainly a battle occurring in the atrium, Voldemort was nowhere in sight. Was this his plan all along, get Cedric or Neville to retrieve the prophecy for him by making Cedric think he was there? Or did he want to draw attention to and then from the department of mysteries so he could sneak down unnoticed?</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He ran into the fray doing his best to stun as many Death Eaters as possible. Neville and Luna ended up in a duel with Bellatrix, who had stupidly not worn a mask. Cho and Hermione were back to back fighting off a death eater. At one point Cedric ended up near Dumbledore. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I believe I told you to return to Hogwarts, what if this was a trap.” Dumbledore said, as if they weren’t in the middle of a fight.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I’m sorry for not listening, but Neville and I have destroyed it. Also I saw into Voldemort’s mind and—” A sudden blast cut Cedric off just as he was about to warn Dumbledore.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“He’s here.” Dumbledore said as growing pain went through Cedric’s scar. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Cedric went to confront the dark wizard, but was stopped by a Death Eater. </span> <span class="s4">It was the same Death Eater as before. She sent a hex at him. Cedric chose to do the same mirror spell, this time it blasted apart the mask she wore.</span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3"><span class="s3">She was a blonde witch with determined brown eyes and her long dirty blonde hair put up in a flat bun on the back of her head. </span> <span class="s2">‘</span> <span class="s6">Because it was neat and simple</span> <span class="s2">,’</span> <span class="s3"> she had told him when he had asked many years ago. She had always wanted to appear neat, but didn’t want to put an insane amount of effort into styling her long hair. Cedric knew this because he was face to face with his mother. </span></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hope you liked it!</p><p>Please remember to leave comments to feed my soul.</p><p>I do have Tumblr and Insta by the same URL if y’all feel like checking it out (sorry I don’t know how to include links on here)</p><p>Also, notice I cut out the veil entirely Timetravel2hogwarts. Just to answer you question from the last chapter.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Everything Falls Apart</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I’m back! And with our second to last chapter! Like I did with this part, I will be taking a week-ish of time off between parts to plan Cedric Diggory and the Many Horcruxes.</p><p>I figured out how to do links in the actual text of the chapter so I have linked my Tumblr and Insta at the bottom. </p><p>Speaking of which,</p><p>I think I’m gonna do some sort of AU askbox writing thing on Tumblr this week. People can ask for ships or friend groups from the fandoms listed in my bio paired with an AU and I’ll write 500 words or less of it (Unless it peaks my interest to turn it into a larger fic).</p><p>XOXO<br/>—Appie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric stared at his mother. He didn’t want to hurt her. He didn’t want to hurt her even through she had knowingly attacked him, twice. She then moved to attack again, a stinging hex that hit Cedric’s right arm. The pain brought his brain back to reality.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">He couldn’t hurt her, even after all she had done to him. He moved to disarm her, “</span> <span class="s3"><em>Expelliarmus!</em>”</span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">She quickly deflected the spell and sent it off to the right. He tried again. And again. And again.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">After what seemed like foreve</span><span class="s4">r</span><span class="s5">,</span><span class="s1"> a bunch of things started to happen at once. Voldemort had decided to show his face and he was in a duel with Kingsley Shacklebolt. Sirius was locked in an intense pre-duel stare off with Pettigrew. Dumbledore was in a duel with Snape, and he was losing. Dumbledore’s wand had been knocked away. Both Cedric and his mother stared as Snape cast the killing curse </span> <span class="s1">at the headmaster, who collapsed onto the floor. There were sudden camera flashes and maroon robes everywhere. </span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The Aurors and Ministry officials had arrived in time to witness the death of Albus Dumbledore.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The next few moments were chaos. Voldemort fled, as did some of the other Death Eaters like Bellatrix, Pettigrew, and Snape. Others had gotten rounded up by Aurors, such as his mother and Lucius Malfoy. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A field healer came over to inspect Cedric’s arm that was still swollen from the stinging hex. He barely noticed. His eyes were on the healers taking away Dumbldore’s body. Leaving to find a horcrux earlier that night seemed eons ago.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He looked over and noticed that somehow a slew of reporters had shown up. Of course they had. They might want him to give an interview. He didn’t feel up to it. He turned on his heel and disapparated with a crack. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He landed in his apartment. Ron was sitting on the couch staring into oblivion. Mark seemed to have just come from the bathroom. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“How is he?” Cedric asked before Lars had noticed his presence.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ced, good, you’re here. He woke up a few minutes ago. Still a bit dazed, but other than that he seems to be fine. Lars hasn’t been home yet.” Mark said, “Cedric? What happened?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Dumbledore’s dead.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Snape killed him.” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Of course he did.” It was Ron that spoke, “He was downright evil. I thought Dumbledore’s trust in him was fishy at best.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Are you okay Ron?” Mark asked, casting some basic diagnostic spells that had been a part of their fifth year DADA class. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Yeah I’m fine. My arms still feel a bit tingly though.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“We can get you back to Hogwarts to see Pomfrey.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I’ll leave a note for Lars.” Cedric said going to find pen and paper in a drawer.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Cedric is there something else? You have that look you had after your parents kicked you out last year.” Mark asked. Of course he knew Cedric’s moods by heart, they had been friends all their lives. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“My mother. She was there. The aurors arrested her, but she— she was one of them. That first one to even throw a spell at us even.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ced—”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A dog patronus flew in the window and started to speak. It was Sirius. “The Order is reconvening at Hogwarts, come as soon as you can.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“We should go.” Cedric said, putting his note onto the fridge,“You ready?” He asked Ron, offering out an arm for side-along.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Ron nodded. The three disapparated to Hogsmeade and made the silent trek back to the castle.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Noise came from the great hall where everyone seemed to be. The Order, plus Minister Fudge and the Hogwarts staf</span> <span class="s4">f</span> <span class="s5">,</span> <span class="s1"> who were not a part of the Orde</span> <span class="s4">r</span> <span class="s5">,</span> <span class="s1"> were gathered at one section of the Ravenclaw table. </span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Minister Fudge was sitting next to Sirius and signing various pages from a stack of parchment, “Here’s this one that declares Sirius Black a free man and innocent of all charges. And the one that puts a kiss on sight order for Peter Pettigrew for the murders of James and Lily Potter.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“And Harry.” Cedric cut in.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Oh yes that.” Fudge continued without looking up.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Nice of you to join us Cedric.” Sirius smiled despite the events of earlier that night.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ron needs to be checked out by Madam Pomfrey.” As soon as she heard her name Madam Pomfrey rushed over to check Ron.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Here’s the order that will remove Delores Umbridge from Hogwarts. A kiss on sight for Severus Snape, and lastly a note declaring that You-Know-Who is Undesirable No.1.” Fudge finished signing the last parchment, “Can you take these into the office to have them processed Kingsley? And send a team to escort Delores back to her home.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The auror nodded.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">“If that’s al</span> <span class="s4">l</span> <span class="s5">,</span> <span class="s1"> I shall be on my way.” Fudge said and promptly left the room without another word. </span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Now that Cornelius has left,” McGonagall started, “I will speak with the staff about how we are going to move forward. You children can return to your rooms.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric and his group left the Great Hall and made to go upstairs. They all seemed to have an agreement to go to Cedric’s room together. Cho and Hermione sat down on the loveseat, Ron at the foot of Cedric’s bed, Luna on the floor, and Mark sat in the desk chair to stare into the void. Cedric sat at the top of his bed and hugged a pillow. No one said anything the whole time. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A forever later, Angelina’s head popped through the adjoining door. “Hey Ced, McGonagall— What’re you all doing here, and why are you so quiet? And why do you all look like you’ve been in a fight.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Doesn’t matter right now. What did McGonagall want?” Cedric asked. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Mandatory breakfast meeting in the Great Hall for all students.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">All of them exchanged looks. They knew what it was about.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Let’s get this over with.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The group headed for the Great Hall, Cedric was almost sick when he saw the black banners that were hung there for the second year in a row. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He sat down with Mark at the Hufflepuff table and stared at the plate in front of him. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“May I have your attention students.” McGonagall spoke from the front of the hall. “I hate to have to say this, but it is important that I do. Professor Dumbledore was killed last night in a battle against the Death Eaters.” She paused, “He was hit with a Killing Curse cast by Professor Snape. As acting Headmistress I have decided to cancel the rest of term including exams. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“There will be a funeral for Professor Dumbledore in two days time, you and your families are welcome to attend.Letters have already been sent home to your parents with the details. The train will be making a run to Kings Cross tomorrow and the day after the funeral for whatever you decide to do. Slytherins can report any head-of-house business to me or Professor Flitwick. After breakfast you are free to go.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">For once the hall was silent. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric downed a small portion of eggs and then returned to his room to sleep.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He had just taken off his outer robes when he remembered the locket that he had tucked away in them. He took it out and read the note signed R. A. B. Apparently this person had been a Death Eater who had realized their mistake much too late. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">So now he had four to find still. Great. A sharp pain in his scar and flashes of what Voldemort was seeing reminded Cedric that he had not put his occlumency shields back up. He sat through a round of breathing exercises and then, for the first time, pondered why he was able to see into Voldemort’s mind.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Somehow it was able to be blocked by occlumency, so maybe it had something to do with legilimency and something to do with the ritual he had unwillingly participated in. But then, how would that explain how he saw into the Snake’s mind when it attacked Arthur? Had Dumbledore known? Cedric thought back to some of their early lessons together. The first few memory he had witnessed left Dumbledore looking as if he had had a revelation of sorts. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Cedric thought about the memory itself. Then he remembered hissing being intertwined with some of the things said by the Gaunts. They had been speaking Parseltounge! And Cedric had somehow understood. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Why was that? He thought back to his memory of being in Nagini’s body. Voldemort hadn’t said anything. Which meant that they had a different method of communication. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Of course! Nagini was indeed a horcrux, just as he and Dumbledore had speculated. But how could Cedric see into her and Voldemort’s minds? Unless...</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It couldn’t be.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Dumbledore would have told him.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Wouldn’t he?</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">But how else could he explain the mysterious ablilities, unless he himself was one of Voldemort’s horcurxes.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1"> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Please remember to leave comments and kudos!</p><p>Tumblr: &gt;<a class="tumblelog">@sofia-not-sophie</a></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Last Days at Hogwarts</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here’s the last chapter for this part!</p><p>I shall see you people in a few days when I start Cedric Diggory and the Many Horcruxes!</p><p>Thanks for reading!</p><p>XOXO<br/>—Appie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Cedric wasn’t sure what to do with this revelation. If Dumbledore was still alive he would just go and confront the old man. That wasn’t gonna happen now. He could tell his friends, but that seemed to be too much too soon. He would have to tell them, eventually. Cedric continued through his nightly routine and did his best to sleep for a while.</p><p> </p><p>That didn’t last long though. He gave up trying just after noon and decided to start packing. He didn’t have any classes or exams to study for anymore anyway. He had gotten all his books in his trunk and was about to move onto clothes when a bird shaped piece of parchment flew through the closed door and landed on his desk. He unfolded the note and read it.</p><p> </p><p>Your presence is needed in the Transfigurations classroom immediately.</p><p> </p><p>Cedric quickly put on presentable clothes and hurried down to McGonagall’s classroom.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>When he arrived he noticed that Draco, two of Draco’s fifth year friends, a sixth year Slytherin and a third year Slytherin had been summoned as well.</p><p> </p><p>Cedric walked up to Draco and the Slytherin asked, “Do you have any idea what this is about?”</p><p> </p><p>“Not a clue.”</p><p> </p><p>Professor McGonagall entered the room with a sad look on her face. “Have a seat children. I have some bad news.”</p><p> </p><p>Cedric sat down warily, what else could be bad right now?</p><p> </p><p>“As you know last night there was a fight at the Ministry, against You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters. Many of whom were arrested by the aurors. I am really sorry to say that you all have at least one parent among the arrested, who are on their way to Azkaban right now.”</p><p> </p><p>Of course, Cedric already knew that his mother was on her way to Azkaban, but the others didn’t.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll read off the list, and then I have a proposition for a few of you. Gregory Goyle Sr, Matthew Crabbe, Thane Fawley, Alexa Fawley, Lucius Malfoy, and Celeana Diggory.”</p><p> </p><p>The room was silent.</p><p> </p><p>“Onto the proposition, I know not all of you wish to follow in your parents footsteps, so I am allowing you to stay at Hogwarts for the summer if you do not feel safe returning home. Since you’re graduating Mr. Diggory you may stay until you find yourself a place—”</p><p> </p><p>“I already have one, I was kicked out last year.”</p><p> </p><p>“I already have made plans with a place as well.” Draco said, glancing at Cedric.</p><p> </p><p>“We’re staying with a mutual family member for now.” Cedric said.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh well, does anyone else need a place to stay?” McGonagall addressed the rest of the group.</p><p> </p><p>Three of the other Slytherins shook their heads. The other, the third year girl, spoke up nervously, “I want to stay.”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course Miss Fawley.” McGonagall did her best to smile at her. “The rest of you are free to go, Miss Fawley you may stay so we can make arrangements for you.”</p><p> </p><p>Cedric left the room and pulled Draco aside.</p><p> </p><p>“I just wanted to let you know I’m going back to London tomorrow.”</p><p> </p><p>“Why? I thought you of all people would attend the funeral.”</p><p> </p><p>“I can’t do that. I’ve recently figured out he was hiding something important from me. It doesn’t seem right to go to his funeral when I’m mad at him. Also I feel like the press will want to talk to me and I would rather duel my mother again than talk to them.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, I think I’ll join you then. I’ll send a letter ahead to Lars. I should probably tell him Father’s been arrested.”</p><p> </p><p>“Only if you want to. Though he should probably know sometime.”</p><p> </p><p>Draco nodded, “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”</p><p> </p><p>“See you then.”</p><p> </p><p>They parted ways and Cedric returned to his room to pack.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Are you sure about not going to the funeral?” Cho asked. She and Hermione had come up to Cedric’s room to say goodbye.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, Dumbledore hid something too important from me and I can’t in good conscience go to his funeral while I’m angry with him.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ok, I’ve gotta go I have hall duty, but I’ll see you soon.” Cho wrapped him into a hug and then went to leave. “Coming Mi?”</p><p> </p><p>“Just a minute love, I want to talk to Ced about something.”Hermione said. Cho gave her girlfriend a quick peck on the cheek and left.</p><p> </p><p>“What’d you want to talk about?” Cedric asked noting the concerned look on his friend’s face.</p><p> </p><p>“Next year. There’s a good chance that Hogwarts or the Ministry could fall into Voldemort’s control. I probably won’t be able to come back next year if that happens. You talked about finding horcruxes with Dumbledore the other night...” She trailed off.</p><p> </p><p>“I was planning on continuing that next year, Mark might join me if I asked. Go into hiding, destroy the pieces of Voldemort’s soul, finish him off for good. And of course it has to be me, the Prophet’s already calling me ‘the next boy-who-lived’ in this morning’s paper. They got a hold of Skeeter’s interview and made a new article.”</p><p> </p><p>“Right. Well, if I can’t return to Hogwarts, could I join you and Mark if he wants in. I know I won’t be able to do magic, but I could help.”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course you can join ‘Mione. We might benefit from having your brains around. And we can figure out a way around the underage magic trace.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks.” She smiled. “See you in a few days!” She dashed out of the room.</p><p> </p><p>Cedric had one last thing to do before he could leave. Scratched on the boards that held up the canopy over his bed the past head boys had scratched their names. Some looked to have used magic, others a sharp object. Some even just used ink. Cedric grabbed his wand and looked around for a spot. There was one next to the name James Potter. Cedric took this as a sign. Somewhere Harry was still looking out for him.</p><p> </p><p>As he watched the school get further and further away from the carriage he rode in, Cedric realized that this could be the last he saw of Hogwarts for a long time, maybe even until he had kids of his own. But, he wouldn’t would he? He had to die in order for Voldemort to. That meant no career, no husband, and most certainly no kids.</p><p> </p><p>He didn’t really know what to think about that.</p><p> </p><p>He and Draco sat on the train in silence as it pulled away from the Hogsmeade station.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Once they arrived home to the London apartment Cedric set up every ward he knew, including fidelius, making Lars the secret keeper.</p><p> </p><p>Draco had informed Lars of their father’s arrest, to which Lars responded with a shrug and an eye roll. Then he asked how Draco was coping.</p><p> </p><p>An owl stood at the window, a fancy looking envelope tied to its foot. Cedric untied the envelope and the bird flew away. Cedric opened it up and began to read.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>To Cedric Diggory, Lawrence Malfoy, and Draco Malfoy,</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>You are invited to the wedding of Remus John Lupin and Sirius Orion Black, on Saturday, August 3 1996. The wedding shall take place at the Burrow in Ottery St. Catchpole.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Please RSVP by June seventh by owl with number attending and food choice.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Signed,</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Remus and Sirius</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Cedric smiled. He had figured out pretty quickly that the two men must have been together, but now that Sirius was free, they could actually tie the knot after so long. Cedric assumed they had been together before Sirius had gone to Azkaban, but he never had had the heart to ask.</p><p> </p><p>He turned to the brothers, one of whom had started sketching the other while he read a book. Cedric held up the invitation, “We have something to look forward to this summer.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>(Did I not have him go to the funeral because I didn’t feel like writing something depressing? Why yes, yes I did.)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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